Velocity
by Hockeygirl28
Summary: -set in the future- The West family is in pieces. Tragedies and shortcomings lead to a major fallout that changed all of their lives forever. Decisions were made, sides were crossed and ties were severed. Would this broken family ever heal? Where does this all leave Irey, Jai and Artemis West? Who will live and who will die? Read and find out.
1. A Mother's Pain

**Hey y'all. I know I should be working on my other stories, but this idea has been my pet project for a bit and I finally had enough of it typed up to post this. If it gains enough attention I will finish polishing up the next part and post that also if I have time. Please tell me what you think this story means a lot to me. I would also like to thank all the wonderful people that helped me develop this story, you're awesome!**

**I don't own it**

On June 12, 2020 Jai and Iris West were welcomed into the world. For Wally and Artemis it was one of the happiest days of their lives. Jai came first and his sister followed soon after. Jai looked more like his mother's sister and Irey was spitting image of her father. Both were happy and healthy, the best of siblings.

Looking back on this, remembering the moment she held both newborns in her arms, Artemis never thought it'd end up to be like this. It hurt that she had to watch it all happen, there was nothing she could do to stop it. The widow cried silently to herself as she turned off the news. She just couldn't bear to watch it anymore. Her very own flesh and blood fighting each other to the death, each on a different side of the law.

The archer didn't know what went wrong. She remembers the time when the twins loved each other; they used to be inseparable, the best of friends even. Now they were at each others throats, wanting to spill the blood of the other. It killed Artemis that there was nothing she could do about it but watch as her family slowly crumbled. If Wally were still alive the sight would probably kill him. Artemis died a little more inside every time she saw Flash and Zoom go at it on the news.

She still couldn't see how the twins were reduced to this. In a matter of months they went from the best of siblings to the worst of enemies. The archer blamed herself for this partially, she was the one who raised them, this was a sign of her failure. She wished she'd intervened when she could've, she should've seen the signs. No one could stop it now.

Artemis remembers fighting her sister when she was young, but never like this. Sure she and Jade were on opposite sides, but never in a billion years would they kill each other. They were sisters and deep down they cared about the other. There was a line neither of them would cross, unlike the twins.

Her family was in pieces. Wally was missing, had been for years. They all presumed he was dead. He was just another gravestone bearing the flash family name. Even if he was out there alive, somewhere, they needed closure. Their hearts were already as empty as his casket in the ground. Eventually Irey fell into her father's footsteps and Jai…fell into another's.

When the oldest West child disowned himself it devastated what was left of the disintegrating family. Out of all the speedsters, Irey and Jai were all that was left. Barry had perished more than a decade before. Wally then took up the mantle he succumbed to the same tragic fate as his predecessor a couple of years ago. For a short time Bart picked up the cowl, but like the others he fell too. Jay was still around, but he was too old to keep up so the responsibility fell into the twin's hands.

It was hard at first. Irey took over Central City and Jai protected Keystone. Impulse and Kid Flash worked perfectly together. Artemis thought they would always be like this, sadly she was mistaken. It was only a matter of time before it all went south.

For once things were going well. Crime was down in both cities. The family was slowly mending, the loss of Wally cut deep and when Bart went it opened old wounds. Artemis was proud of her children for how far they'd come. It was starting to look like all would be well. Then it happened and the West family shattered to pieces.

To this very day Artemis doesn't know what it was that exactly went wrong, her daughter still refuses to tell. Maybe it was for the best, or maybe the youngest West didn't know either. There was no way to tell. From the looks of it something in Jai just snapped.

At first Irey tried to fight it, begging and pleading her brother to stray from the path of darkness he'd chosen. She wasn't ready to accept it yet. That was before things spiraled out of control. When it all passed the point of no return.

Artemis remembers the fallout after Jai left; the memory will always be a fresh wound on her heart. It absolutely destroyed her seeing their battle. It was the first of many to come.

Kid Flash and Impulse faced each other in the middle of Keystone. Brother against sister, twin against twin, blood against blood. Forced out of retirement, the archer in her late 40's raced across rooftops trying to salvage what was left of her family. She felt so helpless as she saw her children destroying each other up ahead in the distance. Both evenly matched in speed and combat, neither could win. It was all escalating at the speed of sound, literally. Artemis's heart broke as she drew her bow taught, it hurt her that it had to come to this. The arrow landed between the warring siblings and exploded on impact, throwing both Irey and Jai back. It wasn't deadly or even harmful, but it was just what Artemis needed to intervene. As the cloud of dust dissipated Artemis appeared in front of the two. Tears streaked down her face, two arrows were notched in her bow, one pointing at each speedster.

The heartbroken mother was speechless as she stared at her frozen children. There were no words to even possibly describe the agony she was feeling, it was like she was being torn to bits slowly while being set on fire. The twins were silent too. It was the last moment of peace they would ever share. Soon after it all went to hell. That night words were said, relationships were broken and ties were permanently severed. _Nothing would ever be the same again._ Sometimes when something is shattered the pieces are too sharp to fit back together.

Irey finally condemned Jai. To her he was a lost cause; she would no longer fight to get him back. He wasn't her brother anymore, he was the enemy. After that night Impulse and Kid Flash were a thing of the past. Their costumes permanently hung up and each donned a new cowl. Things got even worse from there. The first battle may have been over but the war had barely begun.

**So? What did you think? Did you like it? Hate it? Have any suggestions? Questions? Please leave a comment and let me know. I want to make this story the best it can possibly be. The next part should be up soon.**


	2. Irey

**Hey guys thanks for all the follows and favorites and reviews. Here's the next bit. It's the first section of Irey's part. Tell me what you think, enjoy!**

**I don't own the characters but the plot's all mine**

Iris Paula West had always been the baby of the family. Even though she was only three minutes younger than Jai she was still treated like the youngest. It came with its advantages, for instance her father was wrapped around her pinky finger, but it also came with disadvantages.

She and Jai got along for the most part when they grew up. They were quite close for siblings. Every so often they would argue about something stupid, but they quickly forgave each other. Jai acted like any older brother. He was sometimes bossy, overprotective and annoying but she knew he cared. They were siblings; they loved each other, or it least they used to. It's hard looking back seeing where they are now.

It all started when her father disappeared. Irey still hoped he was out there alive somewhere; she was the only one who refused to believe he was dead. She took it hard, but out of all of them Jai took it the hardest. Her brother tried to hide it, but Irey saw through his mask. She saw his hidden tears. No one else did. After that he was different, darker even. Irey didn't realize it until it was too late. She remembers the night he left it would haunt her forever.

It was late in the evening, Irey and Jai were both at their apartment they shared in Keystone. Irey had started to notice that Jai was bending the rules more and more recently so she decided to confront him about it. When she went into his room she found him packing up his stuff.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Anywhere but here." He growled. "What do you want?"

"I want to know what the hell has been up with you lately." She said sternly.

"Nothing, it's none of your business."

"NOTHING!?" She cried. "Jai, you almost _killed_ someone."

"He got what he deserved." He replied.

"It's not out job to punish the guilty. We protect the innocent and leave the rest to the law."

"That's the problem."

"What do you mean by that?" Irey was starting to worry even more.

"There's always a loophole, bad guys go free every day." He murmured.

"That doesn't mean you outstep your bounds."

"We don't have to follow their rules."

"What are you saying?"

"We don't have to abide by their laws, we're better than all of them. We should be the ones in charge."

"_JAI!_ WE CANNOT PLAY GOD!" the horrified red head shouted.

"IREY! LOOK AROUND YOU! CAN'T YOU SEE! THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN IS COMPLETELY BROKEN. STOP LYING TO YOURSELF." He hollered.

"NO IT ISN'T." her heart felt heavy as she sighed.

"Look around you, can you honestly say that it's all going to be ok? _The world's not worth saving._"

"Jai…" she pleaded but he continued ranting.

"Life's too short to play by the rules." Jai sneered.

"Do you hear what you're saying? This isn't you." She could feel the tears pricking at her eyes.

"This is me! I'm done with pretending, I'm done with the lies. They're not going to bury another speedster." He yelled. "_There's no such thing as justice_."

"Dad would never want it this way…" she was soon cut off

"DAD IS GONE IREY! HE'S DEAD!" He thundered harshly.

"NO HE ISN'T!" she sobbed.

"When will you stop being naive little girl and realize that there are no happy endings?"

"Jai…don't go…" she pleaded as he headed toward the door.

He pushed her aside. "I'm out of here. From now on do yourself a favor and stay out of my way." He slammed the door so hard the picture of their family on the wall fell down and shattered.

Irey collapsed on the floor melting in a puddle of tears. She felt so belittled, so betrayed, so hurt. The twenty year old sat there staring at the photo, as she picked it up her finger was sliced by a piece of broken glass. She didn't feel it, the tears burning in her eyes stung much more than the tiny cut.

**So? Any Questions? Comments? Concerns? Thanks for reading tell me what you think please. **


	3. The Fallout

**Here's the next part, tell me what you think please, it means a bunch to me. Thanks for all of the reviews and stuff, I appreciate it.**

**I only own the plot**

Telling her mother that Jai left was one of the hardest things she'd ever do. She didn't have the heart to tell the blonde what he said, she just told her they had an argument and he was gone. At first Artemis didn't believe it, she didn't want to believe it. But the more time that went by, they both knew he wasn't coming home. He was never coming home.

After that things got harder for Irey. She had two cities to protect, a single semester of college left and an estranged brother to look for. The speedster took every clue she could get in search of Jai. She looked for him every night as she patrolled, hoping to catch him and maybe talk some sense into him.

Three whole months passed before she saw him again. It was not a happy reunion, quite the opposite actually. Impulse was responding to a robbery in Keystone, she thought it would be like any other situation. The hero was floored when she got to the scene. She came face to face with her brother who was holding a wad of twenties from the busted ATM he just jacked. She felt her knees buckle slightly, but she stood there strong.

"You're slacking little sis, it took you a full minute to get here." He teased.

She glared at him in horror. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Whatever I want." He replied.

"Kid, you can't do this. I'm not going to let you throw your life away." She felt the anger begin to bubble up in her chest.

"Impulse, do you really think you can stop me?" he smirked. He put the money in his hand on the ground, he didn't care about it.

Irey looked at him, her eyes were full of betrayal. "_How could you!"_ she hissed.

"How could I do what?" At this time the twins were only feet apart.

"How could you destroy everything _he _stood for? How could you ruin _his _legacy like this!" she snarled.

"HE'S DEAD, GONE, DECEASED! LET IT GO!"

Impulse was so livid she vibrated in place. "_THE HELL I WILL_!" She let out a feral cry and lunged at her brother with such force they both tumbled into the street. Though they had sparred before and sometimes got in fights growing up, the twins never had fought like this. This time it was for keeps.

"Don't. You. EVER. Say. Something. Like. That. EVER. Again!" She screamed in-between punches.

"Stop dwelling in the past Irey, he's gone." He threw a kick at her

"NO! I'm not giving up on him. I'm not giving up on you either. Jai, can't you see you're ruining your life!" she said as he held him to the ground.

Flipping her over he replied, "It's my life, get over it."

"How can you be that selfish, do you know what you're putting Mom through? You're killing what's left of our family."

This time she actually caught a glimpse of her old brother. "So what? It's my choice."

"You foul heartless asshole." His sister spat as she landed a kick in his gut. He quickly recovered and sent her flying with a wicked left hook. "You're a disgrace!" she shouted her emerald eyes were fill of disgust.

"You're a bitch." He wiped the blood off his chin, he couldn't tell if it was his or hers.

She sent her fist soaring into his nose; more blood trickled down his face. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I can."

"That's not a reason, you're lying!" she flung herself at him again quickly recovering from his blows.

"Even if I am, you'll never know the truth!"

They charged at each other again but this time an arrow landed in-between the twins before they clashed. It exploded as it hit the pavement, throwing both siblings back. When the dust cleared there stood their mother. Tears streamed down the archer's face, she had an arrow aimed at both of them.

They all froze. The look in their mother's eyes pierced through their souls. The silence lasted for what seemed for an eternity, it was the last calm before the storm.

Suddenly Jai stood up, "I'm sorry it had to be this way Mom."

He started to run off by Irey stopped him. "You're not going anywhere Jai. FACE HER! TELL HER WHAT YOU'VE BECOME!"

"_Jai…" _The archer faintly whispered, her voice heavy with anguish. She lowered her bow and for a final second their matching eyes met.

In a blur the oldest west swung around and sucker punched his sister in the gut, watching her crumple to the ground as he made his escape. He was the fastest man alive, nothing could catch him after he temporarily eliminated his competition.

When Irey got back to _her_ apartment she could not have gotten out of her uniform faster. She fought back tears as she discarded the wretched garment in the depths of her closet where the albums of pictures with her brother in it remained.

She walked into the kitchen and nearly broke down as she glanced at the family photo she tried her best to fix hanging on the wall. She let out a sob and grabbed a kitchen knife. The speedster flung it at the photo hitting her mark. She walked closer to it to retrieve the knife out of the wall. Looking at her twin she just broke down.

"I HATE YOU!" she screamed. "I HATE YOU SO MUCH!"

At first the words felt like poison coming out of her mouth, but they soon were comfortable. It was wrong, but so were his actions. Irey could never forgive her brother. Hell, Jai wasn't her brother. She now considered him the enemy. He was just another empty chair at her graduation, another burnt photo, another hole in her heart.

After showering the speedster ran off to Central, this time though she was in civvies, she was _never _putting on that costume again. She quietly snuck into her parent's house. Irey was careful not to wake her mother as she snuck up to the attic. There she found a box with her father's handwriting scribbled across the front. Inside were all of the remaining Flash rings. She grabbed a handful and zoomed off. It was going to be a long night for her…

**Tell me what you think, also I need some suggestions for some really sad and angsty songs for a project I'm working on for later. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.**


	4. Filling the Shoes

**Hey guys thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate it, I still need those song suggestions so if you have any that would be fantastic.**

**I only own the plot.**

Irey worked deep into the early hours and well into the next day on the new uniform. She spent countless hours reworking the material so it would fit her lean muscular frame. She updated it with advanced technology such as a GPS, night vision and a high-tech comm. radio. The speedster altered the design slightly, but it wasn't that much different from her father's. Irey read through her uncle's notes from when he made his first costume and used his method instead of what Bart and her father did. She preferred that the costume would surround her instead of having to change into it at the speed of light it would save time.

When she finally finished the sky was growing dark. Even though it was only a day she spent working on it, it seemed like months for her. It was quite an emotional moment as Irey put on the finished product for the first time. She's always imagined herself being the Flash some day, but not like this. She always thought that when the moment came her father would be there with her beaming in pride as she donned the cowl.

She left early that evening for patrol so she could make a side trip to the Keystone cemetery, there was someone she needed to see. Her vision turned blurry as she approached the familiar grave. She hadn't been there since the funeral. It was so hard to come here seeing it all carved out onto stone, but there was something she needed to do. Something she needed to say.

The hero stood there silently thinking for some time before she finally spoke. _"I promise I won't let you down. I'll stop him. I'll live up to your name. I'll make you proud."_

Irey fell to her knees in front of the tombstone, after setting some flowers down beside her she lightly traced his name etched into the granite. As single tear slid down her face. "_I love you Dad…"_

Soon she was patrolling through Keystone, her head now in the game. She didn't have time to dwell. It was a big night for her. Something was going to happen she could feel it.

Things were slow in her hometown; there was no crime whatsoever. She went unnoticed on the most part. The hero was moving too fast for people to get a good look at her so the citizens just assumed she was one of the sidekicks filling in for their beloved deceased hero or a random gust of wind.

As Irey made her way to Central she had a sinking feeling in her gut. Just as she suspected when she reached the outskirts of the city the police scanner in her comm. reported a disturbance downtown. The hero kicked it up a notch and raced to the scene. She was about to make her first appearance as the Flash; Irey really didn't know how the citizens would react. After the loss of the fourth Flash (Bart) the city kind of lost faith in the Flashes. Briefly, she wondered where Jai was at the moment. She prayed that it wasn't him causing the ruckus in Central. She wasn't ready to face him; their last battle had left her numb. She needed time for it all to sink in. The wounds were still too fresh to be reopened.

For once she was met with a slightly pleasant surprise when she saw two of the rouges up ahead. Captain Cold and the Trickster were at it again, terrorizing people. It seemed they were actually looking for a fight.

Irey temporarily pushed her broken heart and problems aside and put on the trademark Flash smirk. She would deal with her inner turmoil after she restored order.

As if she appeared out of thin air, Irey slowed down just enough to smack Cold square across the jaw. The wide-eyed crook gasped as he saw the familiar red blur.

"It can't be…" he murmured.

Flash smiled as she came back around and knocked down all of the henchmen and goons before they could flee from the scene. Next, she swiped the Trickster's feet out from under him.

"No way!" the villainous prankster shouted.

"It-it's impossible, he's dead. I was there." Cold said in disbelief as the red blur zoomed across the street knocking out all of his men.

"Well apparently not!" Trickster argued.

"Shut up! I was there. I know what I saw. He was dead."

"Then who is that?" James Jessie asked.

"I don't know, but it's not him!"

After tying up the two crooks Irey skidded for a stop for a brief second. She wanted them to just get a glimpse of her. She wanted to send a message to the rest of the rogue underworld that there's a new order in town. If there was one thing she'd ever learned from Batman it's that all criminals are paranoid and cowardly, now she was using that to her advantage.

Before anyone could arrive on the scene she was gone. Captain Cold and the Trickster were too stunned to even try to escape. Irey went to finish her rounds of the city before returning to check on Keystone and then heading home. She was almost done with patrol when something caught her eye in an alley. It was a familiar bright yellow fabric. The speedster almost tumbled out of control she skidded to a stop so fast. Irey had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach as she grasped the material. As she yanked at it her worst fears were confirmed. Everything that she had tried to forget earlier that day came flooding back to her. Tears pricked her eyes as she held Jai's costume in her hands. She felt shattered on the inside.

As a sob formed in her chest the buildings around her seemed to close in. Irey wiped her damp green eyes and did what she did best, she ran.

The speedster didn't care where she went as long as it was away from there. Landscapes and oceans flew by her in a blur as she sprinted across the globe. Eventually she stopped near the coast of California. As a kid she always found comfort gazing out into the Pacific Ocean. She always seemed to find answers to her problems amongst the waves. Today was no different as she blankly stared out into the gray choppy waters. It finally came to her. _Acceptance_. She knew there was no turning back for her brother. She couldn't stop him; it was a brutal truth she needed to face.

**Please tell me what you think and send in your song suggestions. Review!**


	5. Duty and Burdens

**Hey guys, this chapter is short, but if I have time I'm going to post the next part tomorrow. (it's much longer) Thanks for the reviews, but I really need those song suggestions, so please let me know. I don't bite.**

**I only own the plot**

Irey was both physically and mentally exhausted when she walked through her door. It was around two in the morning and she was so tired she didn't even bother taking off her costume, her cowl pooled at her shoulders and her vibrant red hair stuck out in all directions. The speedster had yet to notice her mother sitting on the couch in the dim room as she went through her mail. Artemis sat calmly on the couch, it was clear that she had been crying earlier.

"The league called." The archer broke the silence. Irey almost jumped out of her skin as she turned to her mother.

"Oh My Gosh! Don't scare me like that!" she snapped before a wave of guilt washed over her as she realized she never told her mother. "Mom, I'm…"

"Save it! I don't want to hear any excuses. I need to tell you something."

"But…" the speedster started but was silenced by her mother's glare.

"Irey, honey I'm so proud of you. You've grown up and matured through the past few months. I know you've been through a lot. I know you have many responsibilities, but there's something you need to know."

"Mom…"

"Don't Mom me Irey, hear me out. What you're doing is huge, but _this_…" The archer's voice broke as she pointed to the Flash emblem on her daughter's chest. "…Is a target. Irey are you sure your ready to do this?"

"Mom I _have _to. It's my responsibility to protect the people. I know the dangers. I know the threats. And believe me I know the sacrifices."

"But are you willing to take those risks and make those sacrifices?"

"I am, someone has to protect the city."

"The league can…" Her mother began.

"No! The league can't Mom! You and I both know that. These cities need their own hero, not some bunch of super humans in space. They don't know these streets like I do. They don't know how it all works. They don't know these people. _I do!"_

"I know you do Irey! But that doesn't mean that it's your responsibility."

"_YES IT IS_!" the speedster shouted, throwing the yellow fabric that she still held in her grip on the ground at her mother's feet; it was Jai's old costume. "_THIS_ is why it's my responsibility. This is _my_ burden to bear!"

Artemis clutched the fabric in her hands, tears threatened to sting at the mother's eyes. "Irey…that was not your fault. Don't blame yourself for his choices."

"I should've stopped him, I should've seen the signs! He was my brother _damnit_! And I let him walk away!"

"You're not responsible for that!"

"Jai was family, it's my mess to clean up. It's my duty."

"IREY! That doesn't mean you take up the whole damn mantle! Honey, your only 20 years old!"

"_Mom_." Irey's voice dropped to a whisper as she almost pleaded, "It's been too long, someone has to fill the shoes. It's my job to protect the family legacy."

"I don't care about upholding the family legacy! I care about your safety Irey!"

"Don't you think that I'm not careful? Mom, I _need _to do this. They would've wanted me to, why don't you?"

"Irey, it's not that I don't want you to, the question is are you ready to. I don't want to see you get hurt or ending up like your…" The archer's voice broke again. "I don't want to lose you too. Irey, you're all that I have left." It was the bitter truth.

"I'm ready, I can handle this Mom."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, positive. What did the league want?"

"They wanted to interest you with an invitation to join their ranks."

For all her life all she'd ever wanted was to someday make it to the league, but not like this. She would not be a replacement for the last Flash. If she were to join them it would be by her own right, she would earn it. She grew up on the basis that good things come with hard work and aren't handed to you.

"Not now, maybe when things settle down." She partially lied.

Artemis gave the yellow costume at her feet an almost glare before looking up at her daughter. Irey looked even more like her father at that moment now she was donning the red. They were almost identical to the freckle appearance wise; Irey also had some of his personality traits such as his sense of humor, though she got her stubbornness from her mother. The archer remembers having a similar conversation with Wally when he decided to take over after Barry died.

"I'm proud of you Irey. It takes a lot of courage to do what you're doing; all I ask is that you're careful. I love you so much I couldn't bear to lose you too."

"I promise Mom. I love you too."

**Tell me what you think, and give me your song suggestions please, and review it will seriously make my day.**


	6. Legacies

**Thanks for the reviews guys; it's really great to get feedback. **

**I only own the plot.**

The next day the news channels were abuzz with the rumors and unconfirmed sightings of what some suspected to be the return of the Flash. Keystone and Central were both up in arms; it was the talk of the towns. Some were skeptical, others were over joyed and a select few were confused. There was also controversy when a couple witnesses said that the red clad hero was a woman. Most didn't believe it, but others thought it made sense. Shockingly there seemed that there was not a crime worth reporting on due to the fact that most of the crooks and perps hid back in their crannies with whispers of the Flash's return.

When reading some of the articles the next moment Irey got a good laugh at the crazy theories the reporters came up with. Some of their ideas were definitely out there while other's were close to the truth.

Unlike her two previous predecessors, Irey wasn't one for media attention. It wasn't that she didn't like it, the speedster just wasn't used to it. She made it a habit of hers to avoid the reporters when she was Impulse. It was always Flash or her brother who did the talking. That was another change she had to make along with many others. She had to break some of the habits she made as Impulse and forge a new identity of the Flash.

The young adult turned off the TV and put her breakfast away, a half a second later she was dressed for work. She'd recently been hired as a lab tech for Star labs. She was currently working in the robotics department but she was soon hoping to be transferred to the Quantum lab. Physics was her true passion. Irey zoomed out the door a minute before she was due to work with a Flash ring in hand just in case.

Two days went by before trouble stirred up. The hero was patrolling through Keystone when she got word of a break in at the Flash museum in Central. Immediately she knew who it was. Irey almost broke the sound barrier as she ran towards the other city.

When she arrived the suspect had already left the scene. Tears came to her eyes as she saw the damage. It looked like a tornado had gone through the place. Her family history was ripped to shreds. Although most of the stuff was thrown about it was all there. Except one thing; the Zoom costume. Irey fought to stay standing as her knees weakened. Jai had gone too far. Never in a million years would she think it'd come to _this_.

She briefly flashed back to the moment when she and Jai first walked through these halls more than 15 years ago. They were with their father, grandpa Jay, Bart and even Uncle Barry. Five generations of Flashes total. Their legacies displayed throughout the building. It was a lot to live up to.

Irey snapped back into reality. With determination in her step she walked out of the museum and out into the world. She then came face to face with the dastardliest of the damages. She couldn't believe her brother had the gall to paint the Flash statue yellow. Out of all the things _that _was what caused something inside of her to break. The speedster stared at the statue in disgust, the sight of it brought a foul taste to her mouth. Now she was mad, no, actually she was beyond mad, she was livid. Hot red fury pulsed through her as she walked towards the street.

"Don't waste your time it, he's long gone." She told the police as she walked by.

"Excuse me miss, who do you think you are? You can't just barge in on a crime scene like that and then tell us what to do." One of the braver officers spoke up.

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to glare at the officer. "I'm the Flash. Get over it." She growled and then continued to walk away. "And you can quote me on that too!" She shouted at the reporters on the scene before she sped away.

Irey was angrier than she had ever been before. She felt so violated, so insulted, so dejected that her brother out of all people would do such a thing to their own family. She was in pieces, but Irey didn't dare shed a tear. She was not going to be weak; even with all this weight on her shoulders the speedster was going to stay strong. She had to. It was her duty, to Keystone, to Central, to her family, to the Flash legacy. Right now it felt like more of a burden than a responsibility, but it was her duty no matter what happened.

Irey soon made it home after finishing her rounds. She peeled her cowl off her head and ran her fingers through her unruly hair. She felt like screaming until her lungs gave out, though she remained silent. The speedster stared at the golden ring that lay in the palm of her hand. It represented all that she had to live up to, a legacy that she had to uphold. That very same legacy was in danger, but Irey wasn't about to let all that her father, Bart, Uncle Barry and Grandpa Jay did go to waste.

**Tell me what you think, I'll answer any questions, comments and concerns any of you may have so please review. Or pm (I don't bite often)**


	7. The Turning Point part 1

**Hey guys here's the next chapter tell me what you think please**

**I only own the plot**

Another week goes by, Irey is as busy as ever rounding up criminals and crooks that seemed to make their way out of the woodwork after they heard that there was a new flash in town. The hero was going to have to prove to them that she was as good or better than the last Flash and until then they would all want to take a whack at her.

Most of the Rouges were already in prison at that point. The only ones that remained at large were Capt. Boomerang, Mirror Master and Capt. Cold. That was until Irey came upon them robbing a bank in Keystone. Immediately as she arrived to the First National Bank of Keystone she knocked out Mirror Master. She would've done the same to the others but she was itching for a fight.

"Lady I don't know who you think you are, but there are rules. Flash always gave a fair fight." Boomerang sneered after she took out Cold after he refused to hit her.

Flash dodged his boomerang and charged at him. It started to annoy her that they always compared her to the other Flashes. "Well I'm not him." She replied before subduing him. Irey tied them up and waited for the cops. After a quick word for the press she sped off to work before her lunch break was up.

The rest of that week was particularly quiet until Irey came upon Grodd stirring up mayhem in downtown Central. By this time she was at her wit's end with villains trying to see if they could beat the new Flash. It irritated her quite a bit that everyone felt the need to question her and compare her instead of letting her do her job. She had yet to gain their respect. So when she saw Grodd she saw an opportunity.

"Yo! Fuzz butt!" she shouted at the overgrown ape from across the street where he was currently wrecking cars. Irey grinned at the look on his face when he turned around. She remembered how her father would irritate Grodd to no end.

"Why is it that all Flashes are immature and childish with their banter, I mean can't you say something witty every once and a while?" the gorilla sighed as he picked up a jeep to throw at the hero.

"I'd like to think my banter is quite witty, it takes a lot of smarts to come up with a name like fuzz butt. Want to hear all of my other names I've come up with for you?" Flash asked dodging the car.

"No, I'd rather see to your demise." Grodd answered.

"Well that's not gonna happen so I'm just going to list them off. You're such a lame ass monkey." She retorted.

"Child, if you are trying to anger me you might as well quit it. It's never going to work." He said chucking another vehicle at her.

"Then why can I sense irritation in your voice you banana ass flea licker."

"Just because I'm irritated by your insults doesn't mean I'm angry."

"Whatever your say Mr. Monkey." Irey could tell he was starting to get sloppy.

"I'm not a monkey!"

"That doesn't matter. Do you ever bathe, I mean I could smell you from a mile away and mister let me tell you something. YOU STINK!"

Irey smiled as his eye started to twitch. "Shut up you stupid child." He hissed.

She feigned being hurt. "Aww, is that the best you can come up with."

Grodd let out an enraged roar and the speedster took this as her cue to strike. She grabbed a fire hose off the side of one of the nearby buildings. It wasn't that hard to tie up the gorilla and he was too angry to think straight. Finally he gave up fighting the hose that wrapped around him tightly and submitted.

Flash wore a triumphant smirk as the police carted the ape in a truck. Spectators clapped and cheered for her giving the hero approval. She was in high spirits for once as she talked to some of the reporters. Things were actually going her way until one of the officers walk up to her.

"Excuse me Flash, Grodd has something to tell you and he said it can't wait."

"What do you mean by it can't wait?"

"See for yourself I don't know."

The hero walked over to the armed vehicle where the ape was being held. Grodd wore a shit-faced grin as he saw the approaching speedster.

"What do you want?" she asked impatiently.

"To give you a message from a friend of mine." He said with a smirk.

Suspecting nothing, Irey fell for it. "What is it then?"

"He wanted me to ask you if you liked the way he redesigned the Flash museum and the Flash statue." A look of satisfaction crossed the gorilla's face as he saw the look on the scarlet speedster's face. " There's a war coming child, and it's no place for people like you. Give up while you still have a chance."

"_No."_ She snarled, rage was evident in her voice. "Tell your friend I'm not backing down and if he has issues with that tell him I said he can go burn in hell for all I care." Irey was breaking inside.

"I'll give him the message."

"And Grodd…"

"Yes Flash?"

"There's one thing you're wrong about. The war's not coming, _it's already here_." The young woman then sprinted off without another word. It felt like someone was trying to carve out her heart with a butter knife.

Instead of returning back to her apartment Irey continued running. Her feelings were a mess, hell she was a mess. She broke the sound barrier somewhere around the Arizona desert, usually that was when she would slow down, but this time she kept going. As a child she was always cautious about going too fast. She feared that if she ever went too fast she would disappear like her uncle and later on her father did. Bart used to tell her that if she got over this she would unlock her full potential, but Irey never did. She could never get past the sight of seeing her father run himself out of existence. For some reason today she couldn't slow down. She was still able to do so physically, but something inside of her made her keep going. She just needed to run, she wanted to be free from it all. The world was a blur of colors as she raced by. Irey could feel herself accelerating.

Suddenly, it was almost as if she could hear someone call her name, but it was so faint she dismissed it as nothing. Then it happened again and Irey was sure she was going insane.

"_Irey"_

"_Irey_!"

"_IREY_!" With the last shout Flash looked over her shoulder and saw Jessie Quick and Jay Garrick running a ways behind her.

"Slow down!" the man she considered her grandfather shouted.

"IREY! You need to slow down while you still can!" Jessie yelled.

"We can't lose you too!" Jay begged. He really didn't want another speedster to meet this untimely demise. He had to borrow speed from Jessie so he could catch up with Irey.

Slowly but surely, Flash slowed down to just below the speed of sound and ran in-step with the other two.

"What the hell were you thinking!" Jessie shouted. She wasn't the closest to Irey, but the speedsters stuck together, or it least they used to.

"Honestly I-I wasn't." Flash shamefully admitted.

"What happened?" Jay asked, he knew something big had happened. Irey was never this reckless unless she had a reason.

"Everything." Irey sighed.

Jessie and Jay were somewhat aware of what happened with Jai, but they didn't know much.

"Irey, you can't run from your problems." Jessie pointed out.

"We're all here for you…" Jay began but was cut off.

"Look, I really don't want to talk about it. I appreciate you coming to stop me, I may have lost control for a second, but I need to handle this on my own. If I need help I'll let you know." And with that Irey broke off and went back to Keystone. She really wanted to be alone.

**Thanks for reading, don't forget to review and I will probably post the next part tomorrow unless the world ends**


	8. The Turning Point part 2

**Here's the next bit, please tell me what you think**

It was late at night when she made her way through the door. Immediately she noticed something was off as she walked through the entryway. She wasn't alone.

"Who's there?" Irey asked, she really was not in the mood for this.

The speedster flicked on the lights and found Damian Wayne of all people sitting at her breakfast table sipping tea.

"Get out." She demanded calmly wasting no time with hello.

"We need to talk." He said, kicking out a chair for her to sit in.

Irey pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration; she was trying to keep her cool. "What the hell are you doing here Damian? I thought you were traveling the world finding yourself."

"I was until I saw the news a few weeks ago."

"Again, why are you here?"

"Irey, we need to talk." He said in a very serious, concerned voice.

"No we don't. Damian." She growled.

"Yes we do, I'm very worried about you."

"What part of we're through don't you get? It's been almost two years. You don't need to care about what it do, it's my business." She glared at him.

"First off, I did not come to talk to you as your Ex, I came as a concerned friend."

"Since when have we been friends?" Irey snarled.

"That's not the point Irey. I came here to tell you something you needed to hear."

"I don't need to hear anything you have to say!" she hissed

"Yes you do!" he shouted but then calmed down, "Irey, I know how you feel, you've been through a lot the past few months…"

"I'm fine." She lied. Damian didn't believe it for a second.

"For as long as we've known each other, do you really expect me to believe you're fine after what happened? I know you've been through too much to be ok…."

Irey then lost it…

"_Oh? You think I've been through a lot?_ You don't know what I've gone through! Not even a clue! You don't know the shit I've had to take! I've been through hell and back! My own goddamn brother betrayed his whole fucking family!" She screamed.

"Irey…"

"DON'T YOU FUCKING IREY ME! You don't know how it feels to see your whole family disappear. I watched my father run himself out of existence! You didn't have to tell your mother that her only son left for good. You didn't have to see the look on the face and listen to her cry! I watched my own damn twin turn into a monster. And I did nothing to stop him until it was too fucking late!" Tears now streamed freely out of her emerald eyes.

"Irey…"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! Don't you _dare_ say you know what I've been through! You'll never know what I've been through. You didn't have to watch as your whole damn family fell apart. All I have now is my mother and Jay! That's it! Dad's gone, Lian's gone, Roy's just as good as gone, Barry's gone, Iris's gone, Bart's gone, both of my dad's parent's are gone, so is my mom's mother, I don't know where the hell Jade is and now Jai's gone too!" A pair of strong arms wrapped around her as her voice broke and her knees gave out. No longer caring about her pride she buried her head into his shoulder and cried.

"Shhh, It's going to be alright Irey." He cooed.

"No it isn't! My own fucking twin betrayed us all!" she bawled.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through this, I know I don't know what exactly you've been through, but I do know how you feel." He held her in close as she continued to sob.

"Why? Why would he do this!" she wailed. "To me, _to our mother_!"

"There's no good reason Irey. Even I don't know."

"It just hurts so much." She whimpered.

"I know, he was my best friend."

"_HE WAS MY BROTHER_! MY OWN TWIN!" she snapped before melting into a puddle of tears in his arms.

Damian patiently sat there while Irey got it all out of her system, she had kept it all in for too long. It was time for her to vent.

Finally the speedster got a grip and was able to calm down. "So what was it that you wanted to tell me?" she croaked, her voice was hoarse from crying.

"Irey, what I'm about to say is going to be hard for you to hear, but I need you to listen."

"Go on."

"I heard about what happened today, you need to stop letting your emotions get the best of you. Irey, Jai knew that you would react badly and he is using your weaknesses to his advantages. He knows what nerves to hit and that will lead to your demise." Damian really hated seeing Irey this way, especially the look on her face when he mentioned Jai.

"I can't help it." She sighed shaking her head.

"Yes you can! Irey, you're tougher than that! You're giving up. The Irey I used to know never, _ever_ gave up, no matter what the odds were. You're stronger than this!"

Irey nodded.

Damian sighed, what he was about to say was going to be hard. "Irey, you need to let him go."

"_What_?" she said, not sure if she heard him properly.

"You need to let Jai go, you need to move on."

"What do you think I've been doing these past few months? I've moved on!" she denied.

"Can you honestly tell me you've let him go? Irey, I saw the footage from the fight you two had in Keystone. You were holding back, _way back._ I've seen you fight before and you didn't put fourth much effort. I know you don't want to hurt him, but Jai's gone. He's not coming back. You can't afford to hold back. What if he got in one too may lucky shots. I don't ever think I'd ever forgive myself if I had to watch your mother bury you. Your family has already buried too many people who have died too young."

"You don't think that I'm not careful! I'm not going to let something like that happen!"

"Irey, sometimes things are out of your control, you cant help it, but you can prevent it. Jai's gone, you're not fighting him, you're fighting Zoom."

"I know that! But I know who's under the mask too!" she shouted and Damian grabbed her by the shoulders so he could look her in the eye.

"Irey! You can't hold back, you cant slow down! It doesn't matter if Zoom's your brother or not! He's not going to give a shit that you're his baby sister. You're going to have to accept that. It's unfortunate, but life isn't always fair. This is just something you must deal with. You're the only one who can!"

"Damian! I know that, but it's so hard. It's impossible to let him go, I've known him for literally my whole life."

"Irey,_ you have to_." He almost pleaded. "Think of what you're mother will have to go through if you held back and he got to you!"

"DO NOT BRING MY MOTHER INTO THIS!" she shouted.

Damian got up and headed for the door. "Irey, please, let him go. If not for anyone then do it for yourself. _You need to."_ And with that he was gone.

Irey sat there staring at the wall for what seemed like an eternity. Finally she made a decision, Damian was right. He was gone; she needed to let him go.

Irey took a giant trash bag and started in the kitchen. She piled all of Jai's astronomy and computer programming books into the sack along with his favorite coffee mug. Next, she made her way into the living room and started taking down all the pictures of him, she also threw away all of his knick knacks he'd collected over the years. Then she went into the bathroom and trashed his toothbrush, shampoo and other toiletries. Last, she got to his room. Irey filled five trash bags of the things he left behind.

At last it was almost all gone, there was just one thing left to go. Irey stood in the middle of the room that was no longer his. His old costume lay out on the floor next to her in a heap. Then with a sigh and a heavy heart she tossed it in the bag with all the other things she was going to throw out Finally, she let him go. Jai was no longer a part of her life. He was just a figment of her past, and like other speedsters Irey didn't dwell on the past, she lived in the moment.

A rueful smile crossed her lips as she felt an immense weight lift off of her. She hated it when Damian was right. She chuckled to herself as she found a note tucked under the teacup he was drinking from earlier.

_Irey,_

_The red suits you well, just be careful._

_-D_

Irey studied the careful script, she was pretty sure Damian was one of the few people left that still wrote in cursive, it was one of his many quirks. Grabbing a random book out of her shelf she slipped the paper inside so it'd be safe. Irey then dragged herself off to bed so she'd it least get some sleep before work in the morning.

**Don't forget to review, also updates might slow as I get back to some of my other stories. Please comment it's like the best Christmas gift ever.**


	9. Polarity

**Hey guys sorry it took so long to update I've been busy with sports and spending time with my familia. Here's the next chapter, this one was incredibly hard to write I've been working on it since Sunday. Thanks to everyone who has supported this story, you all rock. Seriously y'all each deserve a gold star or some other special thing like that.**

**I only own the plot**

During the next few weeks things started to look up. Irey was having a lot less trouble balancing her double life now that the weight on her shoulders had vanished. The speedster was reconnecting with her family also. She would try to eat dinner with her mother once a week when they would talk about anything from league gossip to recipes for cookies. Irey also played chess with Jay every other week or so. She knew there was a lot she had to learn from the elder speedster, all she needed to do was listen.

Irey knew something bad was going to happen after she got her promotion to the quantum lab. Murphy's law always came back to bite her in the ass. Like it always did. It was only a matter of time before things took a turn for the worse, but this time her heart was protected. She wasn't going to get hurt this time. She made sure of that.

Flash was patrolling through Central when she heard a voice call out her as she passed the flash statue that had just been restored to its original state. There stood a figure none other than Zoom.

"What do you want?" Flash glared as she skidded to a stop only a few feet in front of Zoom. They stood there facing each other. Both Flash and Zoom looked to be about equal size wise. Irey was only two and a half inches shorter than her 6' brother.

"I want a fight." He stated the obvious with a malicious smirk.

Flash took this as enough initiative to strike. She apparently caught Jai off guard when she charged forward and gave him a wicked right hook in the jaw. "Well if it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get." She growled. Her brother rubbed his now aching jaw and spat fresh blood on the ground.

Zoom responded with a swift kick in the side and after that she retaliated with a blow to his gut. Soon enough they were circling each other at high-speed, occasionally exchanging punches and blows.

"So did you get my message from Grodd?" Jai asked with a smirk and a punch.

"I think you know the answer to that, traitor." She retaliated with a roundhouse kick.

"I do, heard about your reaction too. I wish I could've been there to see the look on your face." He sneered.

"I can't wait to see the look on your face when I lock you up."

"Now don't get ahead of yourself Flash, You can't outrun me, and you cant out fight me, so how are you going to beat me." Jai was starting to get cocky. Even though both of the twins had the same powers and combat training, Irey had a tad more control on her speed and Jai was proficient in a couple more fighting styles than her, but the odds were still pretty much even.

"Zoom, I _can_ outrun you. Remember?" she said with a hidden smirk recalling the many instances in her teenage years when her skills controlling her powers were superior to Jai's.

"But you can't out fight me, so how do you expect to beat me."

"I'm just full of surprises, you're just going to have to find out the hard way." Irey snapped. She stopped on a dime and grabbed his forearm, grunting she thrust him on the ground and put her foot on his chest.

"Ok bitch, you want to play rough, I'll show you rough!" Zoom snarled. He grabbed her ankle and twisted it causing her to crumple to the ground onto him. As she landed on him Jai took the chance to repay the right hook his sister gave him earlier. Irey let out a quick shriek of pain before recovering from the blow. Blood flowed out of her split lip and it was easy to tell her ankle was in a lot of pain.

"_That the best you got_?" she huffed as she stood back up.

"_Please_ I haven't even gotten started. We all know all that's under your mask is a scared, weak, angry, pathetic little girl."

"Don't patronize me Zoom. If that's what you see under my mask, then what's under yours?" Irey hissed.

"Quit fooling yourself thinking you can take me because you can't." Zoom growled. "You don't even deserve to call yourself The Flash…"

"_The hell I don't!_ I might not of completely earned this, but I stepped up to it. I don't see you taking up this responsibility."

"So that means it's automatically yours? You don't have the guts to give this city what it needs."

"Are you kidding me? I am exactly what this city needs, unlike you!"

"I'm stating the facts. Why are you doing this? You're never going to get the respect. The city is _never_ going to give the Flashes the respect they deserve. Don't you get it? _This fight isn't worth it_."

"It is! How can't you see that? This is my duty; it used to be yours too! And this city has done more than enough! They built a goddamn museum for the Flash and have done so much more, I think that's enough respect. Being a hero isn't about the glory or the fame or anything like that, it's about helping people and that's what I'm doing. I don't care about the attention. I don't give a damn about the media. Hell, I didn't want this, but it's my responsibility to carry on this legacy and that's what I'm damn well going to do!" She ranted.

"I don't see why you're doing this Flash. It's pointless!" He shouted back.

"No, you're wrong! This is not pointless. What you fail to understand is that sometimes you have to put others before yourself." She said as she landed another blow to his gut.

"So you're saying you would die for this city?"

"Yes I would. I'd give up my life to protect it. That's what Barry, Dad and Bart did and I will too if it comes down to it."

"You're going to lead to your own destruction, like the others!"

"Why do you care? Don't you and all your other rouge friends want to kill me anyways?"

"First off I don't care. Second, the rouges are not my friends. I hate them as much as I hate you"

Irey recalled the situation with Grodd earlier on. She found her brother's statement odd. Something wasn't right, but she wouldn't bother with it now.

"Well that's nice to know." She said sardonically. His words weren't going to hurt her this time.

"What are you going to do? Run home crying to your mother? Did I hurt you poor little feelings?"

"No, you didn't because I don't care what you say, I don't give a shit what you do. I'm going to stop you." She growled at Zoom. They were starting to wear a hole in the street from their running. Irey knew she was going to have to do something quick; she had only seconds to make a move.

She took one final breath and charged full speed at Zoom. Apparently he was thinking the same thing as he charged at her. In the mere nanosecond it took to make it to her enemy Irey could've sworn she'd heard a voice that sounded almost familiar, but before she could register who it could be the world went black.

**I think this is the first real cliffy, muahahahahahaha. Sorry if it sucked I tried to make it good but I'm really not sure about this one… Just as a warning The next chapter will be evil, very evil. I'll post it before YJ comes back so y'all wont be assaulted with all the feels and crap like that. Also what are you guys' feelings the possible Linda park appearance in Velocity? I'm just curious…. What characters do you want to see? Let me know I don't bite? I'll give you a metaphorical pterodactyl to anyone who reviews! Please? REVIEW FOR THE LOVE OF SMURFS AND ALL THINGS BLUE! (Sorry I just got done with working on my upcoming crack fic)**


	10. Old Wounds

**Hey guys, HAPPY NEW YEAR! In celebration I finished up the next chapter I hope y'all enjoy. I worked hard on this one so please tell me what you think, Thanks to all of the reviewers and followers and favorites. I love you all!**

**Only the plot is mine.**

Thump Thump

_(Flashback)_

_Four year old Irey and Jai sat in their tree house their father built them recently. They were sipping milkshakes from their happy meals; both were having a blast playing with the toys they got with their meal._

"_Jai we'll be best buds forever, right?' Irey asked her brother._

"_Of course Irey, we'll be the best buddies there ever were, why wouldn't we?"_

"_I dunno, I was just making sure."_

"_Don't worry, we'll stick together." He grabbed her free hand. "Best twins forever!" Jai declared._

"_Yeah! Best twins ever!" she shouted._

Thump Thump

_(Flashback)_

_Jai and Irey walked hand and hand up to the school. It was the first day of kindergarten, which meant it would be the first day they would be apart. Both of the five year olds tried to be brave, but it was evident in their firm grip neither of them wanted to let go._

"_Daddy! Why do Jai and I have to be separated?" Irey whined to her father who was holding her brand new wonder woman backpack and Jai's new Green Lantern backpack._

"_It's the school's policy to separate siblings. Don't worry sweetie, you'll still be able to see your brother at recess and when you get home the both of you can spend as much time together as you want." Wally said gently. His babies were growing up and it was hard for him to believe. Artemis had tears in her eyes._

"_Nooooooooooo!" Jai and Irey both shouted as Artemis and Wally tried to separate the twins to go to their separate classes._

"_Irey!"_

"_Jai!"_

_Both of them were sobbing as they were led into their classrooms, for the first time in their lives the twins separated for more than five minutes, which was an eternity for both of them._

_Sadly their classes had different recess times, prolonging their separation. As soon as the bell had rung the twins were glued together again. Inseparable as always._

Thump Thump

_(Flashback)_

"_Irey, Jai…Wake up!" Artemis whispered to the twins urgently. Something in her voice told the siblings that something was very wrong. Both of them bolted out of bed. Their father's grieving cries could be heard down the hall._

"_Mommy, what is it?" Jai asked._

"_What's wrong?" Irey added. _

_It was evident that Artemis was fighting tears as she kneeled to look them in the eye._

"_Something…terrible… happened to your uncle Barry…" her voice cracked._

"_Is he going to be ok?" Irey whispered._

"_No sweetie, he's gone." Artemis said sadly, but there was no reason to sugarcoat it._

"_Is Daddy ok?" Jai wondered. _

"_Not right now." She sighed. "Shhhhh…. it's going to be ok" the archer soothed her crying children._

Thump Thump

_(Flashback)_

_8-year-old Irey was holding her screaming brother's uninjured hand as their frantic mother drove them to the ER. Jai was wailing at the top of his lungs as he tried to keep his broken wrist still. _

"_It's going to be ok Jai." Irey tried to soothe her twin. While they were in the hospital she never let go of his hand. _

"_Thanks Irey." Jai sniffed as the walked back to the car, he was sporting a new red cast._

"_Anytime Jai, I'm glad you're ok." She replied."_

Thump Thump

_(Flashback)_

_The 9-year-old West twins stood in front of their father; both sported either a yellow or orange spandex suit. It was their first day of training. Irey and Jai had anticipated that very same day since they had come into their powers almost six years ago._

"_Dad…Oops! I mean Flash, What are we going to do first?" Irey asked, she was jumping up and down with excitement._

"_Yeah Flash, what are we gonna do?" Jai echoed._

"_Well how bout you guys settle down, what did I tell you earlier?" Wally said patiently._

"_Watch each other's backs, be prepared for anything, watch your speed, don't go too fast, make sure we always have control and never ever tell anybody our secret identities ever." Both twins answered._

"_Ok, so we now have that in our heads let's get started…"_

Thump Thump

_(Flashback)_

"_Mom! Do I really have to start my homework right now?" Ten-year-old Jai shouted as he and Irey sat down at the kitchen table, they had just gotten home from school. _

_Artemis was concentrated on watching the news; there was another disaster in Star City. There was a sudden explosion and the camera changed angles. Both of them thought nothing of it._

_Irey and Jai had just started their math when the phone rang. No one had ever expected what was to happen next._

_A heart wrenching wail sounded from the kitchen about thirty seconds after Artemis answered the phone. Instinctually the twins ran in to see what was the matter. When they made it into the room they found their mother clutching the phone on the floor. Her eyes were wide with disbelief, shock, grief and portrayed pain. _

_Irey and Jai both tried asking their mother what was wrong, but Artemis was silent._

"_No, it can't be! She can't be gone…" their mother whispered in denial._

Thump Thump

_(Flashback)_

_One week later after learning the terrible news the twins stood in a Star City cemetery. Heroes from all over the world were there to mourn the loss of the archer._

_As their cousin, Lian was lowered into the ground Irey and Jai held each other's hand. Tears streamed down their faces and their grip tightened as they both set an arrow and a rose on the ebony coffin. They had loved their older cousin dearly._

_Irey broke down as she and her brother walked to their parents' car. Trying his best not to cry, Jai wrapped his arms around his sister and let her sob. Soon tears were streaming out of his eyes too. Their cousin was gone, but they still had each other._

Thump Thump

_(Flashback)_

"_Jai give it back!" 11-year-old Irey shouted. She was trying to get her chocolate bar back._

"_No it's mine Irey!" he yelled._

"_No! It's mine! Give it!" she disagreed._

"_You're lying! It's mine!" he argued._

"_NO IT'S MINE!" Irey screamed and lunged at her brother aiming for the chocolate bar._

"_GET OFF ME IREY ITS NOT YOURS!" Jai tried to fend off his sister and accidentally punched her in the face._

_In retaliation Irey landed a kick in her brother's side. After that it spiraled into a full out fight, the candy bar that started it all laid on the ground forgotten._

"_I HATE YOU!" Jai hollered._

"_I HATE YOU TOO!" Irey shouted back._

"_What the hell is going on here?" their concerned father asked as he pulled the siblings apart. _

"_HE/SHE STARTED IT!" they both screeched._

"_He took my candy bar!" Irey explained._

"_I did not! It's mine!" Jai disagreed._

"_I don't care who started it, I'm ending this." Wally said, as he had to pull them apart again. "Look at yourselves, you're brother and sister for goodness sake. You shouldn't be treating each other this way. Now you two are going to sit here until you sort this out."_

_After he had left Irey spoke up, "You know, Dad's right."_

"_Yeah, arguing over a candy bar is stupid, I'm sorry." Jai agreed._

"_Me too, I never meant anything I said, I'm sorry." Irey apologized. "I don't hate you."_

"_I don't hate you either sis, I was just angry." Her brother admitted. _

"_So are we good?" Irey asked._

"_We're good." Jai smiled._

"_Love you Jai!" Irey shouted as she headed towards the kitchen._

"_Love you too Irey!"_

Thump Thump

_(Flashback)_

_13-year-old Irey was on the ground shrieking in pain clutching her injured leg. Her brother was doing his best to calm her down while they waited for their father. _

"_Irey stay still, you don't want to hurt it more!" Jai warned as she tried to get up._

_Soon Wally made it there and carried his daughter to the car and then rushed her to the hospital. Jai was at her side the whole time like she was when he broke his arm._

_He didn't even wince when she squeezed his hand tightly as they set the bone. Being the big brother he was Jai even lent her his jacket when she got cold and he helped her into the car due to the fact she was still getting used to her crutches. _

"_I'm so mad. I can't run for a whole month." Irey sighed with disappointment._

"_Don't worry, I'll be right there with ya." Jai said with a smile, promising to stay at his sister's side._

"_Jai you don't have to…"_

"_I insist it's no biggie Irey. We stick together remember."_

"_Thanks Jai"_

Thump Thump

_(Flashback)_

_Today was the day that 14-year-old Jai and Irey West had been waiting for since they first came into their powers. Hearing all the stories their parents had told them about the team naturally they wanted to join, and today they were finally going to be apart of it._

"_So who's on the team?" Irey asked excitedly. She was proudly wearing her new Impulse uniform._

"_Well there's Robin, Superboy, that new lantern chick, the new batgirl and I think Aquagirl." Wally answered. He was having another one of those its-hard-to-accept-my-kids-are-growing-up moments. _

"_This is so cool!" Jai exclaimed, he was in his new Kid Flash costume._

"_Totally!" Irey agreed._

Thump Thump

_(Flashback)_

"_I can't believe you didn't tell me!" 15-year-old Jai West shouted at his sister._

"_Tell you what?" Irey replied, trying to play dumb._

"_That you're dating my best friend!" He roared._

"_It's none of you're business Jai!" she yelled._

"_Yeah it is! He's my best friend and you're my sister. It's my business."_

"_No it isn't. I don't get all up in your face about who you date, so you can't do the same to me!"_

"_It least I'm open about it! I didn't even know until Milagro brought it up!" He shouted,_

"_Well maybe you weren't supposed to know about it!" The redhead argued,_

"_Well I think I should, especially when it's my best friend!"_

"_Maybe there was a reason he didn't tell you!" she screamed._

"_FINE!" Jai slammed the door as he left to go confront Damian about the same thing._

Thump Thump

_(Flashback)_

"_Happy Birthday To You!" The chorus of leaguers and other heroes sang to the embarrassed twins._

"_Mom you didn't have to throw a party!" Irey said indignantly even though she was grateful._

"_Honey it's your sweet sixteen, you get a party whether you like it or not." Artemis smiled. Jai was too busy stuffing his face with cake to speak. _

"_Happy birthday Impulse." Robin said handing her a small box and pecking kiss on her cheek._

_Irey quickly unwrapped it and gasped as she saw the necklace. It was a delicate silver Flash symbol pendant with tiny little sparkling diamonds. The speedster was utterly speechless._

"_Thank you so much Damian, you didn't have to do this for me."_

"_I insist Irey, It's not much."_

"_I'm never taking it off." She promised as she slipped the chain around her neck._

Thump Thump

_(Flashback)_

"_Impulse, KF I told you do stay out of this." Wally said into his comm. He was battling his arch nemesis, Professor Zoom. (Aka Hunter Zolomon) in the middle of Keystone City._

"_You can't just fight him alone Dad." Jai pointed out as he and his sister ran to Keystone where the battle was taking place._

"_And we're seventeen, we can handle it" Irey added._

"_The answer it no, and I don't care what reason's you have. Stay out of it!" Their father yelled he wanted to protect them. The speedster was currently trying to get Zoom out of Keystone to prevent any collateral damage._

"_But…" Jai protested._

"_No buts! Go!" he shouted._

_Irey and Jai pulled off and returned to Central._

"_What are we going to do?" Irey asked Jai._

"_I don't know. We can't just let him fight Zoom alone. He can't end up like the last Flash." Kid Flash sighed._

"_We need to call for backup." Impulse proclaimed and she pulled out her cellphone._

"_Who are you calling?"_

"_Bart, Jay and Jessie. "_

"_It's too late, there's not enough time."_

"_DAD!" Both Irey and Jai shouted as they ran after him. They didn't want to lose him too, but they knew it was too late. Jai tried to slow himself and his sister as Wally and Zoom dissipated. They were gone. There was nothing they could do about it._

"_NO!" Irey screamed her voice heavy with anguish and choked with tears._

_Jai came to a stop he was so distraught he couldn't move anymore but Irey kept running. It wasn't until her cousin's arms wrapped around her that she slowed down. Her wordless screams and wails went on for hours it seemed as Jay, Bart and Jessie tried to console her while trying to come to term with it as well. Jai was nowhere to be found at the time. He had run off in need to clear his head. _

_Irey knew when he came back something had changed in Jai's eyes. Something about him would never be the same again, but for the first time in her life Irey didn't know what._

Thump…

Machines went off and alarms started beeping as Irey woke up with as gasp. The speedster was astounded for a moment as she found herself seeing stars, literally. Although she soon came to her senses and realized that she was in the watchtower med-bay.

The tower's med staff soon came rushing in with her mother and surprisingly Damian.

"Oh my gosh sweetie, I'm so glad you're alright. Don't ever scare me like that ever again." Artemis hugged her tightly; worry lines were starting to show on the archer's face.

"I'm sorry mom, I'll try to be more careful." Irey apologized

Irey let out a sigh of relief as she though everyone had finally left the room. She loved her mother to death, but sometimes Artemis was a little too overbearing.

"You gave us all a scare Irey…" Damian said as he came out of the dark corner.

"Ahh! Don't do that!" Irey shrieked. "I hate it when you do the bat thing!"

"The what?" The ex-assassin was a little lost.

"The all appear out of shadows and stealthy shit!" The frantic speedster shouted.

"Ok, I'm sorry, I was just worried." He admitted.

"You? Worried? Why? How long was I out for?" Irey asked.

"Over a week, Artemis was worried sick, she hasn't left the tower since they brought you here." He informed her.

"What happened?" The hero asked in shock.

"You took a nasty high speed hit to the head." Something in his voice told Irey it was more than that.

"How fast was I going?" she asked tentatively.

"Pretty damn fast, you definitely broke the sound barrier, but I have a feeling you were going even faster than that." His voice dripped with concern.

"What makes you say that?"

"_Irey_, you and Zoom made a crater in the middle of Central City. _You almost died_." He whispered.

"Then what happened to Zoom?" she wondered if her brother ended up like her.

"He got away…"

"So you mean _he_ did this to me?" Irey inquired.

"It seems like it, do you remember anything?"

Irey recalled hearing a familiar voice, but she didn't say anything. "Nope."

Later the next day Irey checked herself out of the hospital even though they recommended she stayed for another day or so, she didn't have time to sit around in med bay all day.

"Irey! Where are you going?" Damian stopped her as she headed for the door.

"Home." She replied and tried to keep walking but he stopped her again.

"You should still be resting."

"D, I don't have time to rest, I have work to do. I have to stop that son of a bitch." She growled and with that she was out the door and through the zeta tube.

The Wayne heir sighed, he knew the speedster was too stubborn to budge, she always was.

**So? What did you think? Was it good? Was it bad? Are you going to come after me with a pitchfork? Please let me know I stayed up til 3 in the morning to finish this the least you can do is take 15 seconds of your time and leave a review. Please that's all I ask. Also HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2013 WOOHOO! REVIEW!**


	11. Terminal Velocity Part 1

**Sorry it took so long to get this up, I was out of town so I couldn't post until now. I'd like to thank every one of my wonderful reviewers. You guys are just fantastic. Well enjoy this chapter. (muahahahahahahaha)**

**I only own the plot.**

* * *

After that day Irey kept moving forward and never looked back. The past wouldn't hold her back anymore. Three years went by in a blink of an eye as she embraced her responsibilities. Now not only was she a successful researcher at Star Labs but the beloved hero of Central and Keystone city.

Irey had her fair share of battles in the mid-western metropolises. The classic rouge gallery usually stirred up trouble for the young heroine. She usually had minimal trouble putting them back in Blackgate where they belonged, or to some other prison. Grodd showed up every now and then to spit in her face and to wreak havoc around the town. The over sized ape was a slightly more difficult challenge; on a few occasions she even had to get assistance to take him down.

But with victory and success come failure, loss and sometimes even disaster. Throughout the years Flash had faced her arch-nemesis Zoom many times. He was as relentless as he was ruthless. Unlike her first battles facing him she did have her fair share of victories over Jai, but sometimes he got the better of her and she would bite the dust.

Over time their encounters intensified, as were the stakes. By now Irey knew that at this point a single mistake on her part in combat with him could very well cost her-her life. The one thing that didn't make sense to the scarlet speedster was the reasons behind his attacks and crimes. Zoom had only committed a few minor bank robberies and vandalism; minor crimes at most if you don't count his many attempts on Flash's life. Jai was always a calculating individual; Irey knew he was up to something. He was planning something big, _she could feel it_.

It was another hot summer day in Central City Kansas; there was not a cloud in the sky and the sun blazed mercilessly. Irey was at work in the lab setting up the new particle collider avoiding the heat outside like everyone else in the city.

"West! C'mere!" Her supervisor Mr. Everett barked.

"Sir what is it?" Irey asked nervously, she was afraid he was going to confront her about her many disappearances. She didn't want to be demoted.

"You're off the collider project."

"_Excuse_ _me_? Why? I've been working on it since the blueprint stage." She was put back that they would take her off _her_ project. This experiment was her first solo project she was in charge of. She had dedicated countless hours towards planning and building the miniature particle collider.

"You're wanted in experimental physics." He said bluntly.

"Why?" She was confused. Irey had never even heard of that department before.

"Apparently they want you. Leave your notes and blueprints here. Gonzales will take over."

"When?"

"_Now_. Leave your things you can get them later. They want you upstairs now."

Suddenly the speedster's pager started going off. Irey sighed. '_As if things couldn't get any worse the universe just has to prove me wrong!'_

"Ummm now?" she said as she glanced at her beeper again.

"Yes now! What are you standing there for?" he growled.

"Sir, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take a rain check, family emergency." She excused herself.

"West, you can't keep leaving like this." He warned actually sounding concerned for once.

"I'm sorry, but it's an emergency. I _need_ to leave." She said with urgency.

"Very well, but this is the last time." He sighed and Irey sprinted out the door at human speed as she rounded the corner she was already in costume.

* * *

Whoever or what ever was causing trouble was in for it, Irey was already irritated and angry. The speedster was definitely not in the mood for this today. She cursed her bad luck when she made it to Central and saw that Zoom of all people was wreaking havoc around the town. Today was really not her day.

She had a feeling he was just doing this to anger or provoke her. With all that was going on with her job, her career, her life, family or the lack there of and other issues Irey was absolutely one hundred percent done. She was done with her boss; she was done with the league and most of all she was done with Zoom. '_It's time to end this'_ she thought. Irey was at the end of her rope and it was time to tie up loose ends. One of them was not walking away from this encounter today.

"Well what do you know, you actually made it. I thought I was going to have to destroy the whole town before you showed your ugly face." Zoom pretended to yawn as he teased.

Flash just glared at him and went in for a right hook. She didn't even bother with the witty banter today. Her mind was focused on the fight.

"Looks like someone's not in a good mood. Did I hurt your precious little feelings?" he mocked while a malicious smirk formed on his features.

She stayed silent and sent him another dirty look as she dodged one of his roundhouse kicks.

"What do you want?" Flash demanded angrily.

"To ruin your dignity and the Flash legacy." Zoom shrugged nonchalantly. Irey was slightly put off by such a straightforward answer at first, but then she knew it was a trick.

"Why are you doing this?" Irey interrogated, they were now circling each other in the middle of the street.

"Why not?" Jai smirked. It was almost like this was a game to him.

"What do you hope to accomplish by some minor property damage?"

"Why would I tell you?" The villain replied.

"Ok, so now you're the big mean bad guy, but that's all you are. You have no mission, no purpose." Flash snarled.

"Everything I do has a reason." Jai responded this time actually sounding serious.

"Bullshit." Irey sneered.

"You see Flash, I have this thing called patience and a little bit of foresight. Unlike you, little miss live-in-the-moment _I_ actually plan ahead." He boasted.

"For what?" She scrutinized.

"To achieve what the other Zoom's failed to do." He said with pride and confidence.

"Kill the Flash?" she guessed and landed a punch in his jaw.

"No you bitch." Zoom spat blood onto the pavement. "I'm going to take the power that's rightfully mine. Nations will bow before me."

Irey ducked a second too late and his fist planted into her face shattering the lens over her left eye. "How do you expect to do that, I'll always be there to stop you." She snarled while she brushed the plastic shards out of her face.

"I have one thing that the others didn't"

"That is?"

"I know how to stop you, your weaknesses. _I know how to break you_." He gloated.

"You know _nothing_ about me anymore! You think you do, but you're wrong. I'm not the person I was three years ago." She hissed lividly.

"Some things never change Flash." he patronized. Irey ignored him for a moment as she quickly glanced around., the growing crowd of spectators started to worry her.

Flash glanced around, she knew she needed to lead Zoom away from the civilians she didn't want any collateral damage. Quickly she improvised a plan.

"Everything changes. You don't know me at all so don't even try to get into my head. It won't work."

"I don't need to get into your head to beat you."

"But you can't beat me if you can't catch me." Irey replied and hoped he took the bait as she sprinted out of the city limits.

A smirk lit up her masked face when she glanced back to see him on her tail, right where she wanted him. Soon enough Jai caught up with her but that didn't matter he fell right into her trap.

Irey watched her surroundings become a blur as she and Zoom accelerated. Soon she realized that her plan wasn't going to work as well as she first thought. There was too much risk and with risk came loose ends; something the speedster couldn't afford. This had to end at all costs.

This time Irey didn't even flinch when they broke the sound barrier. She didn't hesitate when the friction started to wear on her suit and her legs felt like they were on fire. Determination was clearly shown in her hardened green eyes as she kept on running. The speedster was sure of what she had to do.

As she ran Irey glanced sideways at her enemy, her brother, her twin and for the first time in years it hurt. Her heart almost shattered. A small question of uncertainty bubbled up and completely undermined her confidence.

_What am I doing?_

Flash knew what was going to happen. She knew what she had to do, but as she looked at the man next to her she now had doubts. The speedster couldn't find it within herself to actually hate him.

_He's my brother._

Irey tried to ignore all the memories of him when they were growing up. She tried to convince herself that the old Jai was dead, but she couldn't. She couldn't do this. She just couldn't.

Flash looked over at Zoom again. She saw the panicked look in his eyes that he was fighting not to show. Jai no longer had control over his speed and soon she wouldn't either. Irey had always feared of going past the point of no return. The speedster had a small window of opportunity to avoid facing the same fate as her brother, but instead of slowing down and leaving Jai to face the inevitable she made a split second decision.

The heroine pushed on forward so that she was slightly ahead of her brother. Irey turned backwards and grabbed her brother's torso. Briefly their eyes met and she gave him one last glance before she thrust him back with all her might.

"_Goodbye Jai…" _Her voice whispered softly through the harsh wind. Irey remained calm as she became aware of the fact that she no longer could slow down. The speedster gave Jai her only chance.

Irey felt numb as she kept on running, accelerating by the second. The wind stung her face and her feet burned, but that didn't matter now. Soon she became one with the lightning like her father and uncle and slowly faded out of existence into the speed force.

**So? What do you think? Are you ready to come at me with pitchforks and torches or even worse? Did you like the chapter? Hate it? How did it make you feel? Is it good, bad, awful? Please let me know, I spent a lot of time writing this chapter and the next few too so if you could so kindly leave a review, it only takes a few second that would be great and it would absolutely make my day. All you have to do is tell me what you think. **


	12. Terminal Velocity Part 2

**Here's the next bit, sorry bout the short chapter. More to come later. READ THE IMPORTANT A/N AT THE END.**

**I only own the plot.**

Jai tried not to let the panic show on his face as he felt the control over his legs slowly slip away. Zoom kept going faster and faster, no longer able to slow down and it scared him. Jai remembers what happened to the other speedsters, he was in full-blown panic mode as he lost control.

He knew Irey could still slow down, hell she could even stop if the laws of physics allowed it. Jai was always jealous of his sister's superior ability to control her powers. Irey was almost if not better than their father when it came down to speed and control.

Why she wasn't stopping or even slowing down, he didn't know. Jai expected her to, Irey was always afraid of going to fast, but for some reason his sister kept on running by his side. She seemed to be at war with herself, although he wasn't sure. The whole thing confused him to the point of frustration.

_Why was she doing this?_

It took Zoom by surprise when his sister gripped his torso and forced him backwards with strength he didn't even know she had. At that moment time froze or it least it seemed to. Jai took one final glance at his twin, his little sister, his other half.

Her crimson mask was torn, as was her costume. Her fiery red bangs poked out between the torn scarlet fabric on her forehead. Blood and dirt were smeared across her flushed freckled cheeks. When he met her piercing emerald stare he expected to see hate, disgust or something close to that, but he saw something else entirely in her eyes. _Pity, compassion and…something else._

Even though it was only for a fraction of a nanosecond it was enough. It was if he had looked into her mind. _He knew. _

_Flashback_

_Jai and Irey were mountain biking in the Rockies during their annual family vacation. The highschoolers were having an absolute blast rushing up and down the hills together. Both hollered and laughed as they climbed the steep incline. Irey led the way on the narrow trail at her insistence. Jai was close behind her._

_Suddenly, the gravel beneath her tires gave way and the young redhead tumbled backwards off the edge of the cliff._

"_JAI!" she screamed reaching out for the edge frantically._

"_IREY!" Her twin shouted as he jumped off his bike and lunged for her arm ignoring the pain as his knees scraped against the rough terrain. In the nick of time he caught her wrist and pulled his sister to safety. Adrenalin pumped through his veins and his heart thundered in his chest as he tenderly helped Irey on her feet. _

"_Thanks, that was close." She gasped._

"_Too close." He agreed. Jai was glad he was there to catch her when she fell. He couldn't imagine life without his other half._

"IREY!" Zoom shouted as he desperately tried to grab ahold of his sister so he could save her from facing the same fate as their father. But his efforts were in vain, it was too late. The blast from the past made it even worse as he tumbled backwards.

"_Goodbye Jai…"_Her voice whispered through the wind. Jai watched in agony as she slowly faded away into the distance into nothing. She was gone, as good as if not dead. Somewhere in that rift that swallowed her up. He didn't know.

Jai didn't feel any pain as he skidded across the plains. He felt nothing, as he lay out on the desert floor in a bloody pulp.

The speedster sighed in defeat as both past and present memories played over and over in his mind, teasing him, haunting him. He was too late, to slow. He couldn't catch her this time.

"_You just always had to be the hero Irey."_ Jai cursed his dead sister bitterly.

**Hi guys, I was slightly disappointed at the amount of response from the last chapter, but I had this done so I decided to post. Please let me know what you think. I don't write just to get reviews but it's nice to get a decent amount of feedback. I put a lot of time into these chapters so if you could spend a few seconds on a review that would be nice. It's the least you can do. Also I'm looking to see if anyone is willing to do a cover for this story (I cant draw to save my life) Please review or PM, I don't bite.**


	13. Terminal Velocity Part 3

**Hey guys guess what, 100 reviews! Yay I love each and every one of y'all. Thanks so much and keep up the good work. Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for. Also it's three in the morning let me know if I missed anything when editing. Well enjoy (If you dare)**

**I only own the plot.**

Damian Wayne let out a low hiss as he turned the channel to the national news. Zoom and Flash were at it again in downtown Central City. A shiver ran down his spine as he watched his ex-girlfriend and former best friend take punches at each other. Usually he didn't feel much when he saw them fight other than dismay, but this time he had an awful gut feeling. Much to his almost horror he watched them as they fought and noticed something different about the way both of them moved, Irey especially. _Something wasn't right. _

After as second look he recognized it almost instantly. He noticed that they were barely speaking compared to their previous fights. There was little to no useless banter. The former assassin didn't need to see the look in Irey's eyes to know what she was thinking. Flash was playing for keeps this time.

The young man rushed down to the batcave to get a closer look on the situation. He turned on one of the flat screens to the channel while he tried to boot up the computers.

"Damn you Grayson!" He snarled as he failed to gain access to the network due to the fact Nightwing was in the process of updating them. He would have stayed there and tried again if it weren't for the next thing he heard.

"_This is Linda Park with GBS News reporting from downtown Central City. I am currently near the scene of where local hero Flash and Zoom are locked in an intense battle at the intersection of 5__th__ and Main. Authorities have already evacuated nearby civilians and…Hold on…. What's this? New reports have come in. According to my sources Flash has fled towards the outskirts of the city with Zoom on her tail. I'll be back with updates."_

Damian stopped cold. Icy fear surged through his veins as one of his worst fears was confirmed. He knew exactly what Irey was doing. How could he not, she was using the same tactic father did to defeat Zoom. He had to stop her somehow. The world couldn't lose another Flash.

In a split second the Wayne heir slapped on a mask, over rid the system and sprinted through the zeta-tube his father kept in the Batcave for emergencies.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" Damian roared as he charged through the busy halls of the watchtower to the mission control room. Screw authorization, he couldn't care less at the watchtower's new rules at the moment. The only thing on his mind was to save Irey.

As soon as he was at the monitor the young detective began to type furiously pulling up a map of the globe and tracing both of the speedsters' energy signatures. After that he contacted the four remaining people on the planet that could possibly catch up to Flash and Zoom. Within the next minute he had Jessie Quick, Jay Garrick, Kara Kent and Clark on it.

Anxiety encompassed the Gotham vigilante as he watched at the screen. He remembered how little of time it took for Wally to vanish and that just made it all worse.

"What the hell are you doing in the Watchtower?" Nightwing demanded from behind him. More questions arose for the acrobat after glancing at the computer screens. "You're not authorized to be here D."

"You don't think I don't know that _Richard_. I don't have time to explain. I have to stop her." The tone in his voice said it all.

"Stop who?" Nightwing asked.

"Flash and Zoom." Damian huffed.

"_No, Not again!"_ Dick gasped. Grief filled him as the tragic memory of losing Wally, his best friend, became painfully fresh.

"I have to stop her." Damian repeated. He and Nightwing remained still, both pairs of eyes glued on the screen. There was nothing they could do now but watch and pray that Clark, Kara, Jay, and Jessie would make it in time.

Damian tried not to get his feelings in the way of his mission, but it was hard and found his mind drifting slightly to the last time he was at the Watchtower with Irey for a brief moment.

_(Flashback)_

_Peeking through the door, Damian watched Flash and Superman argue in the league meeting room. The current Robin found it almost amusing as he watched the two fight from the shadows._

"_The answer is no." Irey stated stubbornly as she glared at the man of steel. _

"_Flash we need you. You would be a valued member of our team." Clark argued._

"_No." she replied firmly and crossed her arms. The speedster wasn't backing down._

"_Why not?" The kryptonian inquired. "I thought you wanted to join?"_

"_I did, but that was before I took up the mantle. Besides, you don't want me to join." Flash sneered._

"_Yes we do, this is why we're having this meeting in the first place." He replied slightly confused._

"_No you don't. You don't need Irey you need Flash. You don't need me you need my logo!" she snarled pointing to the blot on her chest. "You just want to say you have a Flash in your ranks."_

"_What about your family's legacy? What would your father think?"_

"_How __dare__ you bring my father into this! I may have taken up his cowl but I am not him!" she spat out venomously._

"_Irey, we need a speedster. It's your obligation to join." Superman pleaded._

"_I'm not obligated to do shit for the league. Sure, I'll help when I'm actually needed, but that still doesn't mean it's my obligation. And don't you even get started about how it's my responsibility. I already have enough god damn responsibility." Irey ranted angrily, her fiery temper was starting to get the best of her._

"_Can you it least think about it a little more?" Clark asked._

"_NO! Don't you get it? Do I have to spell it out for you? I'm. Not. Joining. The. Justice. League. I've made my choice and the answer is no. Get it through your thick skull it's not happening! I'm not joining! And don't even think about asking my mother to guilt me into agreeing. She's already been through enough shit for you people, leave her the hell alone!" the livid speedster hissed and with that she stormed out managing to flip Robin off from his hiding spot on the way out_

_(End Flashback)_

Damian snapped back into reality as Clark radioed an update on the situation.

"Superman to Watchtower. It seems that Flash has pushed Zoom off his feet backwards. Should we pursue him?"

Robin noticed one of the icons on screen chance directions, but this time he didn't care about capturing the villain. All he wanted was to save Irey.

"Watchtower to Superman. Negative. He's not going anywhere anytime soon, out first priority is saving Flash." Damian commanded. Dick was tracking Zoom just in case he survived the tumble.

Suddenly a loud screech came from the communicator and the radio fell silent.

"Watchtower to Superman."

"Watchtower to Supergirl."

"Watchtower to J. Quick!"

"Watchtower to Garrick!"

No matter how much they tried neither Nightwing or Robin could establish a radio connection with any of the team. For a full five minutes there was nothing but silence. The figures had vanished from the map also. It was the longest five minutes in Damian's life as he anxiously stared off at nothing. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest and his limbs turned cold. You could cut the tension in the air with a butter knife it was so thick.

"Oh god what have I done… I just sent four heroes to their deaths." The twenty-five year old sighed guiltily looking at the floor. Just then, a single blip reappeared on the screen. Both men looked up with a ghost of hope.

"I wouldn't say that yet D…" Nightwing said with anticipation as a second and third blip appeared.

Soon a fourth one appeared and both vigilantes were on the edge of their seats waiting for a fifth.

"C'mon one more, just one more." Damian chanted under his breath. Dick remained silent but Robin didn't have to be a martian to know he was thinking the same thing. Suddenly a fifth and surprisingly a sixth blip appeared. They were successful or close enough to success.

"Superman to Watchtower. We have some new complications, beam us up now!" the clearly exhausted alien broke the radio silence.

"On it!" Nightwing replied ignoring the formalities.

"What complications?" Damian asked but his question fell upon deaf ears.

Both of them sprinted to the Zeta platform and began beaming the six individuals up two at a time. First came Jessie and Jay and soon after came Kara and a very unconscious Irey, then came the complications.

"_It can't be."_ Nightwing whispered in disbelief as he tried to clear Superman and an unknown individual to beam up. The zeta reader must have been wrong because the acrobat was certain it was impossible for the person with Clark to be the person the beam identified. But he didn't have time to argue with the computer so he cleared it even if it was 'wrong'.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Damian asked, but before his brother could respond Superman and his 'passenger' had beamed in. The whole room fell silent as they all stared at the red clad man Clark was supporting.

The whole room was speechless, half of them looked like they had seen a ghost the other half thought it was some sort of trick because there was no way this was real. There was no way in heaven or hell Wallace Rudolph West could be alive, yet there he was in the flesh, _alive_.

"It's not possible, it can't be possible, it isn't possible." Dick stuttered he didn't believe his eyes. The acrobat was paralyzed with disbelief.

"What happened?" Damian asked he wanted answers now. "How?" He indicated the fact that the formerly late Wally West was standing right in front of him.

"We don't know. We caught Flash in the nick of time and as we were trying to pull her out of this vortex thing we almost got sucked in. Then for some reason something just gave and we were able to pull Flash out but she was holding onto the old Flash's arm and then we pulled him out also. He's been like this ever since we pulled him out." Jessie spoke up.

Wally still remained in his own little dazed state.

"We need to get them to med bay right now." Nightwing commanded snapping out of his disbelieving haze.

"Nightwing, should we contact Artemis?" Jay Garrick asked.

"Not yet, we need to run a few tests first." The vigilante was still skeptical.

Kara set Irey down on one of the cots and put on an IV. Wally was brought to a separate room to examination room. The 'dead' speedster was starting to come to.

"Wh-where am I?" Wally asked as he started to take in his surroundings.

"The Watchtower. What do you remember _Flash_?" Nightwing questioned. It felt so foreign calling Wally the Flash it was Irey's title but Dick couldn't bring himself to calling the man in front of him Wally. Not just yet.

"Well aren't you friendly, wake up on the wrong side of the batbed?" Wally quipped trying to disguise the fact he was so put off by Nightwing's coldness.

"Just answer the question _Flash_."

"Fine." Wally took a second to remember and suddenly he was hit by a flashback.

_(Flashback)_

_Wally was currently racing around the planet with Zoom on his tail. He could feel himself accelerating; soon he would reach the point of no return. The speedster prayed his children didn't follow him. He didn't want him to fact the same fate he was about to face._

"_DAD!" the twins shouted behind him in the distance. _

'_Damnit! Go back! Slow down!' Wally wanted to respond, but he couldn't. All he could do was run. The father glanced over and saw Zoom beside him. As the seemingly magnetic rift opened up before him Flash pushed his yellow clad enemy in before being swallowed up himself._

_(End)_

"The last thing I remember was pushing Zoom into some vortex." He recalled. The sudden memory left him a little shaken, but not to shaken up to notice something wasn't right. "What's wrong? What are you guys not telling me?"

"Is that all you remember _Flash_?"

"Yes! Now what is it that you're not telling me and why aren't you calling me Wally? You always call me Wally." The agitated speedster scrutinized. By now everyone in the room looked somewhat nervous.

"You might want to prepare for impact." The acrobat warned.

Wally, being tired of waiting ignored Nightwing and asked someone else all the while he was trying to ignore the fact the kid his daughter was dating looked like he was in his mid twenties. "Jay, what's going on?" he trusted his old mentor would tell him.

The ancient speedster was having a hard time finding the words. Just then Irey stormed into the room angrily, luckily she didn't notice her father at first.

"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on? Where are my shoes? And why is-" she soon fell silent as she noticed the red clad man in the middle of the room. She was absolutely dumbstruck. Her heart started to speed rapidly as the rest of her body failed to process the information.

"_Dad_?" Was all she could choke out before her knees grew weak and she collapsed on the floor.

"Irey?" Wally responded in shock. There was no way that woman in front of him was his 17 year old daughter. He had so many questions he was about to ask but the speedster's mind stopped dead in its tracks instantly after someone frantically yelled.

"_She's not breathing!"_

**Questions? Comments? Concerns? Please tell me what you think I spent all afternoon working on this. You can take 15 seconds of your time and tell me what you think it would seriously make my day. Also I'm looking for someone that might draw a cover PM me if you're interested. REVIEW!**


	14. Shattered

**Sorry it took so long but here's my next chapter. Thanks for the favs, follows and reviews! It means a lot to me. Tell me what you think of this chapter.**

**I only own the plot.**

* * *

Zoom stared up at the starry midnight sky. He still lay in the crater he created earlier. The speedster had been there for hours; to him it seemed like days. Finally as he began to register feeling in his arm the speedster slowly unclenched his fist to find a single tiny shred of scarlet fabric resting in his palm. It was all he had left of his sister. For a single moment he wanted to sit there and grieve. He wanted to scream to the heavens in anguish. He wanted retribution, but that was only for a moment before he remembered that he didn't care about Irey anymore.

Ultimately, Zoom pulled himself to his feet. His aching body screamed out in protest, but he ignored it as he half limped half ran back to Central. When he eventually made it to the city he tried to attract the least attention as possible. All he wanted to do was go back to his apartment.

When he got to his place he went straight to the shower. Jai couldn't even look at himself in the mirror. The water ran red as it washed off all the blood. His whole back was raw from sliding across the ground. After the water was shut off the speedster stood there for a few minutes, his ebony hair hung limp over his forehead and his body was burning as if it was on fire.

The young man winced in pain as he toweled himself dry. He then slipped on a pair of boxers and limped over to his apartment's tiny kitchen. His stomach was growling like a raging beast, it desperately craved some form of nourishment. The hunger was starting to take a toll on Jai, but he just couldn't bring himself to eat. His steel gray eyes focused on the small scarlet shred that rested on the countertop. He couldn't stop thinking about Irey. The nightmarish memory of losing her played over and over in his mind like a broken record. He could still hear the screams, her whispered farewell and the whistling of the wind. He could still see Irey, it was almost if her eyes were still staring into his. Honestly, he didn't know what to feel. His emotions were so conflicted it was like a vicious war raged on inside him.

Jai had meant to crush her. He wanted to hurt her. He wanted to see her cry. He wanted to watch her heart break. He wanted to see her slowly die inside as he destroyed anything and everything that mattered to her. He wanted her to beg for death. He wanted to take everything she had. He wanted to break her. But in turn Irey gave up everything. He knew she could've slowed down. She wanted him dead or it least gone, but in the end she saved him. She forfeited it all in a single selfless act of compassion. _And it shattered him._

* * *

"_She's not breathing!"_

Wally stood frozen in the middle of the room while everyone else jumped into action. The speedster wanted to move, but he couldn't, his body wouldn't budge. His masked face retained a look of pure horror as he watched them trying to revive the dying woman that was supposed to be his daughter.

"_CLEAR!"….. "AGAIN!"_

Wally couldn't believe it. He was absolutely shaken as he looked at his baby girl lying on a stretcher. There were so many people around her it was hard for him to see, but every time he got a glimpse he was taken aback. He couldn't believe the fact that his daughter was _The Flash_. How did this happen? Why? When? Yesterday Irey was a carefree teenager full of laughter with a passion for science, moonlighting as Impulse. Now she was an adult on her deathbed. What happened to his little girl? Where was Jai? The two were never apart, Jai would be there if his sister was dying. Where was Artemis? Where was his family?

"_CLEAR!"…"We're losing her! AGAIN!"_

The speedster was barely able to comprehend what was happening. In less than five minutes he went from having no clue what was going on to receiving the shock of his life and having even less of an idea what exactly was occurring to facing the horror of possibly losing his daughter. Everything was almost too overwhelming for Wally, but he hadn't even reached the tip of the iceberg yet.

"_CLEAR!"…."AGAIN!"…..Beep….Beep…..Beep…."We Have a pulse!"_

The former Flash felt a wave of relief as he saw the rising and falling of his daughter's chest. Finally he regained the ability to move as they wheeled Irey down the hall. The father followed them to the room and waited outside while the doctors stabilized her. As soon as the doctors left he rushed into the room. Jay and Nightwing sat in the plastic chairs in the corner of the room while Damian sat in another seat next to Irey's bed.

Wally couldn't wait any longer he needed answers. "_Dick."_ He addressed his friend in a low and serious tone. "What is going on?"

The acrobat in his mid forties let out a heavy sigh. Wally was going to have to find out eventually. "Wally, it's been seven years. You've been dead for _seven years_."

It was hard breaking the news to him and even harder to see the expression on the speedster's face.

"_No…" _ Wally whispered as he just let it all sink in for a minute. The news was a devastating blow.

"Seven years?" The speedster murmured as he stared at his feet. "Seven years?" He repeated in disbelief. "I've been…dead…for _seven years_?" The speedster asked, stumbling on the mentioning of his death. It was a fragile subject for the speedster.

Jay and Nightwing both nodded solemnly, there were no words to say.

It was already too much and Wally didn't even know what happened yet. The whole thought was painful, but he had to ask. "What happened?" he inquired with a sigh looking over at his daughter.

"A lot." Nightwing answered, dreading the imminent questions. Even he couldn't bear to tell his friend the horrible news.

"Where's the rest of my family?" Wally inquired getting right to the point and not stopping, he bombarded both men with questions. "And why is my daughter Flash? Where's Bart?"

Nightwing didn't know what was worse, telling Wally his son's a villain hell-bent on Irey's ultimate destruction or that his cousin died more than five years ago at the hand of the rouges.

"Where's Artemis?" The speedster asked not even waiting for the answers.

"We're in the process of contacting her." Nightwing answered.

"What kind of bullshit is-" Wally started to call Dick on his bluff but as if on cue the zeta-tube announced the arrival of a certain archer.

"Speak of the devil." Damian murmured from the corner, he was glad that he wasn't Dick right now.

"_WHERE IS SHE?"_ the blonde archer shouted from down the hall. Nightwing bolted out of his seat and rushed to meet the angry woman before she got to the room. Wally was so deep in thought he didn't even acknowledge the departure.

Dick reached Artemis right as she was about to turn the corner and make it into the hallway Irey's room was in. "Where is my daughter?" the blonde woman demanded. She looked like a mess wearing one of her old Stanford sweatshirts and sweatpants. It was like she had just dragged herself out of bed.

"She's stable, but there's something you need to know." He tried to inform her.

"I get a phone call at three in the fucking morning saying that my daughter has gone into cardiac arrest. There is _nothing_ that is so important I need to hear it now. Where is she!" Artemis snarled venomously and she tried to push past him, but he stopped her.

"Trust me, you need to know what happed first. Irey's not going anywhere. You need to hear this." He told her earnestly.

"Let me see my daughter damnit!" she cursed as she tried to get past Nightwing again.

"Artemis, calm down and listen." The acrobat ordered.

"_Calm down? _You want me to _calm down?_ I just learned that my daughter's heart stopped and you want me to _calm down _so you can tell me how it happened? I don't think so. Honestly I don't care, I need to see my daughter." The woman hissed.

"This isn't about Irey Artemis. There were other..." He paused trying to find the right words. "…_Complications_…You need to know this now." His voice rose slightly as he started to get frustrated with the blonde woman.

"You have five minutes." The archer growled, finally giving in. The two sat down across from each other in a little waiting room close by.

"Are you aware of the encounter between Zoom and Flash this afternoon?" Nightwing asked in a cold monotone almost identical to Bruce's.

"Yes, it was all over the news. Now what did _he _do to her?" she asked urgently, dreading learning the actions of her estranged son.

"I don't have the whole story, but from the footage and other accounts we gathered we think we have a good idea of what happened." He started.

"Tell me then!" Artemis shouted impatiently.

"We think Flash was trying to prevent collateral damage by drawing Zoom out of the city, but either something went out of hand or it was part of her plan all along because neither of them stopped running. It was like when Wally fought Zolomon for the final time, or so it looked at first. As soon as we were alerted of the conflict we sent people after them to prevent another disaster like what killed Wally. From what they saw apparently Flash did something and Zoom was thrown back. Flash was starting to fade away so we focused our efforts on saving her. She disappeared into some vortex, but Jessie grabbed her arm in the nick of time, but that's when things get complicated. Irey didn't come back alone." He explained.

"What do you mean she didn't come back alone?" The bewildered archer questioned.

"What I'm trying to say is that when they pulled her out of that vortex she was holding onto someone." He clarified.

"Who?"

"_Wally._"

Artemis let out a loud gasp as she gripped the arm of her chair for support. A small lump formed in her throat and a fresh set of tears lay in wait in her stormy eyes. "That-that's impossible. He's dead" She stammered. "_They saw him die_."

"There was never a body, he probably never even died either." Dick said distantly.

"Then where the hell has he these past seven years?" The archer shrieked losing her control for a moment.

Nightwing was unbothered by her outburst. "I don't know, same place Flash would've gone I guess."

Artemis sat there silently for a minute digesting the information. It was a lot to take in. Honestly she didn't know how to react. The archer had no clue what to feel or even say, but she had to do something.

Finally, she got up. Her knees still felt a little weak but that didn't matter; she had to go in there. _He needed her more than ever right now._

"What does he know?" she asked before she ventured to the room down the hall.

"All he knows is that he was gone for seven years. He has no idea about Bart, Jai or anything." Dick said softly, he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.

Artemis took a moment to compose herself in front of the room. She was almost afraid to walk in there. The archer knew she was going to break his heart and that killed her inside as she hesitantly turning the knob and opening the door.

* * *

**Another cliffy, sorry about that, but it had to be done. As I'm sure you've all heard Young Justice and GLTAS have been canceled for next season, but there is still hope. The best thing you can do is buy the episodes and watch them on tv or even have your tv on when they are showing so CN gets the ratings and realizes that these shows are worth keeping. We all need to put fourth effort to save out shows. If you want more info look me up on tumblr, I'm Hockeygirl2814. **

**SO what did you think of this chapter? Was it good? Was it bad? Did it make you happy? Did it make you sad? (oh god I'm starting to rhyme) What did you feel? Any thoughts? Please let me know what you think. It seriously takes like 15 seconds to review, please I worked really hard on this it would be fantastic to get some feedback. Also I'm looking for some cover art. PM me if you want to maybe do it.**


	15. Scar Tissue

**Hey guys thanks for all of the reviews, favs and follows. I really appreciate it. It really does make my day when I read through all the comments. This is the chapter you've all been waiting for. So what is this secret Artemis is hiding from Wally? Read and find out. **

**Only the plot is mine.**

The first thing Artemis saw as she entered the room was her daughter lying in a hospital bed. Irey was now in a hospital gown and there were so many machines hooked up to her pale frame. She was sprinkled with cuts and it wasn't hard to tell the whole front half of her body was suffering from varying degrees of friction burn. It brought a slight relief to the archer to hear the constant beep of the heart monitor; a constant assurance the Irey was alive.

After planting a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead, Artemis turned her attention to the red clad man slouched over in the corner. One of his elbows sat on his knees as he rested his head in his gloved hand in deep thought. His cowl pooled around his neck revealing his vibrant red hair and pale freckled cheeks.

Quietly, Artemis sat down in the chair next to him. Wally didn't seem to notice her. The archer was having trouble finding her voice. Thoughtlessly, she slipped her nimble fingers into his warm hand. The sensation was so natural, for seven years Artemis had longed for that feeling. As they sat there for that moment it was almost if Wally never left. For a second everything was ok, but soon they would have to face the reality of the situation.

"_Wally." _The archer cooed gently, he squeezed her hand softly.

"_Seven years." _He murmured. The speedster's voice held an edge of disbelief. "I was gone for _seven years._"

Wally was unable to look his wife in the eye, he felt as if he had let everyone, especially her, down. His green gaze remained on the floor as he tried to come to terms with it.

"Wally." She repeated.

"I missed _seven _whole years." He stammered. Even the thought was painful; he was unable to get over it.

"Wally!" Artemis said sharply gaining his attention. "Look at me. That doesn't matter right now. The only thing that matters is that you're here now. We're going to work this out. It's going to be ok." She assured him.

"No it's not. _It_ _matters_. It matters that I missed seven years of everyone's lives." He disagreed. Wally missed seven whole years of spending time with his wife; he missed seven whole years of watching his children grow up. Now it's like the whole world has passed him by. The speedster sighed and glanced over at his unconscious daughter, Irey was a prime example of all that he had missed.

It was so hard to see Irey like this, covered in wounds and hooked up to too many machines to count. It was even harder to see her in the Flash uniform. To him yesterday she was a happy carefree teenager, but as he saw the look in her eyes he knew those days were a thing of the past.

Her green eyes showed the war that was going on inside her, slowly tearing her apart. They showed wisdom beyond their years as well as the heavy burden on her shoulders. Wally could see his baby girl had changed so much through her emerald irises he glimpsed in that single second.

Irey looked so old now that she was in her mid twenties, mature definitely. The speedster wondered what happened to his baby girl. Would he hear he laugh again? Would he see her smile? He didn't know, the questions just kept piling up.

Seeing her in the Flash costume made him proud, but afraid and concerned all at the same time. He knew taking up the mantle was a huge responsibility even though it didn't have a much baggage as other's like the Batman legacy, becoming the Flash was still a huge deal. The speedster had no idea how long Irey had donned the cowl. He was incredibly shocked that she was the one to fill his shoes out of all the others especially considering her age. Even he didn't become Flash until he was almost thirty and he still wasn't ready for it at the time.

Wally always expected Bart to take over for him if something ever happened to him, not Irey. Hell, she was the last he'd ever expect to take up the mantle. The father figured Jai would do it before his sister. But then again, he had been dead for seven years; he probably didn't even know his own family anymore.

The former Flash let out another heavy sigh and snapped out of deep thought.

"It's like I'm a complete stranger now." He admitted shaking his head sadly.

"Baywatch, we're going to figure this out." Artemis comforted. She was dreading the fact that she was going to have to tell him sooner or later.

"Where's Jai?" Wally finally inquired.

The archer's throat went dry and her steel eyes concentrated on the old Batman slippers adorning her feet so he wouldn't see her hidden tears. This was going to be hard for both of them.

Wally noted her reaction and momentarily changed subjects. "What about Bart?"

Artemis found a little of her voice, but her gaze never left the floor. "Bart-Bart's…" her voice waivered, but she had to tell him. "Bart's dead."

Wally's eyes glazed over as he gasped in grief. His heart ached for the loss of his cousin. Bart was so young, so full of life. Now he was gone also.

"…He died at the hands of the rouges almost six years ago. The twins never forgave themselves. None of us did…" She recalled distantly.

Artemis didn't have to see her husband to know his eyes were glossed over with despair as he tried to accept that Bart was gone.

While he wanted to sit there and grieve his cousin, Wally didn't have the time. He could do that later after he had his answers about everything else.

"Did the rouges do that to Irey?" he asked as he glanced over at his injured daughter.

"No." Artemis whispered shakily. She was battling the burning tears that flooded her eyes. The ache in her chest grew to the point it was almost unbearable. _She had to tell him. _

"No?"

"No." she shook her head sadly.

"Then who?" He questioned.

The archer felt a sob rise up in her chest, but she ignored it. "_Jai did this._" The mother whimpered softly. Tears ran freely down her cheeks as she looked up at her husband. It was the first time in over three years she had said her son's name.

"_Jai?_ Jai did this to her? Jai almost killed her?" Wally was absolutely shell shocked; he didn't want to believe it. He couldn't believe it, that his own son almost killed his daughter. It wasn't possible. The twins would never do this. He was deep in denial, but Wally knew it was the truth after seeing his wife's tearful eyes. It damn well broke his heart.

"Why?" was all he could mutter, his very world was falling apart. The horror of it all was tearing at his insides.

"It all started about four years ago…" the tearful mother began.

As Wally listened to Artemis's account the only thing he could think was '_How could this have all gone so wrong?'_

_000ooo000_

Jai Bartholomew West stood in the middle of Central City in front of the Flash statue. The young man was wearing his civvies this time, he had no use for his alter ego, and right now he just wanted to be Jai. It was around three in the morning, he was the only soul in sight. The speedster sighed as he looked up at the bronze monument, shaking his head ever so slightly. No matter how far nor how fast he ran he would never escape the shadow of this statue. He would never escape the shadow of the Flash.

He wanted to smack the grin off of his great uncle Barry's bronze face. Oh how he loathed that statue. Even though the monument was of his great uncle it symbolized all four of the past Flashes and the current one also and so much more. The bronze monstrosity embodied the core of the Flash legacy, what each Flash stood for, fought for, their actions, their contributions and their sacrifices. It's shadow cast by either the afternoon sun or the rising moon was a legacy on it's on. The very same legacy that Jai could never live up to, he could never live down and he _hated _it.

There was not another person alive that despised the Flashes more than Jai. The speedster hated the fact he could never escape it either. No matter how far he ran or how fast he could go he would always be a flash. The young man detested every aspect that came with the family name. Jai didn't want the rules. He didn't want the baggage or the strings that came attached. He didn't want the moral code or responsibility. The speedster didn't want to have _anything_ that would get in his way or hold him back.

Looking back Jai didn't see why he even bought into the hero thing. After all it was just a meaningless game. A never-ending struggle between good and evil. To him there was absolutely not point in saving the city if it was only to fall into peril once again afterward. Heroics was a waste of his time, it was a waste of everybody's time. These so-called heroes were just superior beings that didn't have the guts to take what was rightfully theirs. In Jai's eyes they're all cowards pretending to save the day. There was no fighting the good fight, or doing what was 'right'. All it ever was is a game full of lies between two different sides. Jai had come to realize this over the years. He was no longer a fool of his parent's lies. He had powers; he could use them for whatever he wanted. The world was his oyster; he could take whatever he wanted whenever he wanted with no restraints. But above all else he wanted _revenge. _

Jai craned his neck to look up at the statue again but this time he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. The memory of losing his sister almost a day ago still lingered in his mind. The whole ordeal was traumatizing, the constant flashbacks didn't help either, he was trying to move on. After all this was what he wanted in the first place, Flash out of his way. From the day he had left there was nothing more that he desired than to rid the world of the Flash legacy and he never questioned himself. But today, he had done such that and now he just didn't know. Never before had he been so unsure. The speedster couldn't stop questioning himself. His thoughts were now clouded with doubt. His sister's face haunted his memory and tortured his very soul.

The speedster could already see the headlines on the news once the world learned that yet another Flash was dead. He could see the crying school children and the weeping fans standing where he stood now. There would be a funeral of some kind for Flash then there would be a quiet ceremony for Irey West. He imagined that there would be some kind of memorial created for his sister for her duty to the city. Then the citizens would expect another speedster pop out of the woodwork and take over like before, but this time there were no speedsters left. Keystone and Central would be left unprotected, not that he cared or anything though. The world didn't really need a Flash after all in his opinion.

For a final moment he stood there. The cool midnight summer breeze rustled his ebony hair and the moonlight bathed his olive skin with pale light. As he looked up at the monument his eyes were full of spite, his heart was gripped with malice, and his mind was full of doubt. With that he set off and melted into the wind.

Although he intended to make his way home his feet carried him elsewhere. The speedster saw the lights of Central fade away and the lights of Keystone reappear as he traversed the all to familiar route. Before he knew it Jai found himself standing in front of an apartment complex. His sister's apartment complex to be exact.

It had been more than three years since he had even laid his eyes on the building. For some reason it seemed to call out to him, to something inside of him. Without a thought he made his way through the front door up the flights of stairs to the third floor. Like an old habit he thoughtlessly stood in front of 32C and pulled the key ring out of his pocket. It didn't take long to find the key he was searching for. Jai didn't know why he still even had the thing or why he never got rid of it. The key easily slid into the lock and the door opened with a sharp click. The speedster was surprised his sister never changed the lock.

After he closed the door and flicked on the lights he found that he barely even recognized the place he once called home. The walls were painted a new color, the furniture was different and something seemed missing as he scanned the somewhat messy condo.

Jai noticed that any sign of him was gone, but that wasn't it. Something was missing from this apartment and it made the whole space feel cold and dank, he just couldn't put his finger on it. Jai soon found himself studying the pictures on the wall, many of them he was deliberately cut out or scribbled over. It was like Irey wanted to have a constant reminder he was no longer a part of her life. For some reason he could almost feel tears pricking in his stormy grey eyes.

The speedster remembered all the good times he spent with Irey in this apartment. Memories were all he had of his sister now. That and the small scarlet scrap from her costume. Jai pulled one of the picture frames off the wall to get a closer look. It was the last family portrait they took with their father. Unlike the other photos only the corner was folded over his face. He peeled back the bent corner to reveal his creased face and out slipped a stray shard of glass. He cursed softly to himself as he pulled the tiny fragment from his finger.

Suddenly a metal disk whirred past the speedster slicing his cheek before it planted into the wall shattering another photo. Jai's hand met his sliced face inspecting the blood before he turned to look over the figure in the shadows.

"_Damian." _He hissed, spitting his name out like acid. "What are you doing here?" Jai asked, regaining his cold and cruel demeanor, even though this time it was a mask.

"I was about to ask you the same question. _Zoom._"

**Oooh another cliffy. What did you think? I was listening to the poem **_**Lost Along the Way **_**aka "Does This Darkness Have a Name?" (well it's more of a monologue look it up on youtube it kinda describes where I'm going right now with the story, it might give you some insight) Please take 15 seconds to tell me what you think of this story. I would greatly appreciate feedback. Also I'm going to also start posting this story on tumblr. I'm Hockeygirl2814. Check me out. Please review!**


	16. Anchors

**Hey guys, thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows. It means a bunch to me. I always love to read your feedback.**

**I only own the plot.**

* * *

"Why are you here?" Jai snarled at the shadowy figure in front of him.

"That is none of your concern." Damian said calmly as he analyzed the situation.

"If you're looking Irey she's not coming back." Jai's expression remained firm but his voice betrayed him, cracking at his sister's name.

Damian's face remained blank as he calculated his next move. "Why isn't she coming home?" he replied, playing dumb momentarily to see where it would get him.

A small humorless smirk tugged at the corner of the speedster's mouth. "You don't know, do you?"

"What is it that I do not know Zoom?" Damian narrowed his gaze, weakly glaring at his former friend.

"Irey's dead! She was sucked into a vortex because she was too stupid to save herself! She's not coming back!" Zoom shouted. He was expecting a bigger reaction from his former friend, but Damian's cold demeanor remained almost unchanged.

The heir continued glaring at the speedster for some time before a rueful smirk formed on his expression and he let out a short hollow laugh.

"You think you killed her don't you? You think she's dead? Ha! Iris couldn't be further from it." The young man proclaimed even though his last statement was a lie. He knew at this very moment Irey still lay on that hospital bed hooked up to machines, barely clinging on to her life.

"What do you mean?" Denial flashed in the speedster's eyes.

"_She's alive." _The Wayne heir hissed.

"No. That's impossible! She can't be alive. I saw her die!" Jai growled, he didn't believe it, not one bit.

"You're eyes have deceived you then, Iris is alive and well."

"You're lying." The speedster declared.

"Why would I lie?" Damian inquired.

"Why would you tell me the truth?" Zoom counteracted.

"What have I got to lose?" The former Robin shrugged.

"You have everything to lose! Unlike me, I've got nothing to lose. Nothing to hold me back." Jai barked.

"Then why are you here? Why are you dwelling in the past you claim to have shed years ago?" Damian asked. _Check. _The speedster was playing right into his hand.

Jai remained silent; he seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Why is it that even after all this time you still come back? You keep lying to yourself, but deep down you still care." The heir disparaged.

"The hell I do! I don't give a rat's ass about any of my past. I _hate _my family. I _hate_ the Flash. I _hate_ Irey! _I hate all of it_! Think about it bird brain, why else would I be doing this? I don't care. I won't care. Don't you get it? I'm bad, evil, the villain! Why would I care about any of them?" Zoom shouted angrily.

"You say this so confidently, but right now looking at you all I see is doubt." Damian countered. "You have no fulfillment."

"What do you want from me!" The speedster roared.

"From you? Nothing, The real question is what you want from yourself?" _Checkmate._

A vein threatened to pop out of Jai's forehead. "You know what? I'm done with you and your so-called insight or wisdom or whatever you call it! _You don't know me_!"

The speedster tried to make his way to the door but Damian pushed him back. Usually Jai would fight, but he had no energy left and the former robin knew that. The air was thick with tension as they glared at each other.

"You know there's going to come a day when all of this is going to come back and bite you in the ass." Damian warned.

"Don't try to save me, I'm far past redemption. I don't want to go back. I'm never going back." He said darkly.

"_He who sacrifices his conscience to ambition burns a picture to obtain the ashes." _ Damian quoted.

"Yeah yeah, cry me a river bird brain. I'm out of here." And with that the speedster disappeared out the door.

This time Damian let Jai pass, after all his work was done. Funny how a few words could torment a person for weeks on end. The former robin had psychological warfare down to an art. Jai would have many sleepless nights ahead of him thanks to his former friend, and the best part was the speedster never suspected a thing.

Damian walked over to the shattered frame on the floor. He was careful not to cut himself as he cleaned up the glass that littered the linoleum floor. He took a second to look at the redheaded teen in the photo. Damian couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Irey smile like that. He was pretty sure it's been years since she's smiled like that and he missed it. Even though her optimism and perkiness used to annoy him to no end when they were young, it was what he loved the most about her.

Irey's laugh used to light up the darkest of rooms, her smile could make anyone's day, but now one the rare occasions she 'genuinely' smiled or laughed, it seemed forced and lifeless. Damian missed the days when he would be in the darkest mood and Irey would pop in and crack a joke and then everything would be better. Damian missed how free and impulsive Irey used to be; now she was so uptight and controlled. He didn't blame her either, after all she'd been through she ought to have changed, but it was so sad to see her happy former self turn into the person she was today.

Honestly the only times Damian saw her smile is when she fought crime, but even then most of those smiles were fake. Irey always put on some sort of smile for the cameras usually, what hero didn't. Sometimes Damian saw glimpses of her old self as she bantered with the villains, but it wasn't the same.

She was dedicated to her work to a point it consumed her. It was if she was a complete stranger. Irey was always fighting crime or working at star labs. The woman never gave herself any free time. Damian recalled the many video conversations Artemis had with Barbra about this down in the batcave. He felt bad for the formerly widowed archer. She barely had anyone left. Wally was dead until a few days ago, Jai was disowned on his own accord and Irey was too busy to even drop in and say hi. Somehow Artemis managed, but Damian knew it took a toll on the retired hero.

The former Robin hung the picture back up on the wall next to an old newspaper article about the Flash. He quickly scanned over the apartment to see if there was anything else out of order before suiting up in his old costume and setting out to patrol the city. Just because Irey was out of commission didn't mean crime would slow down anytime soon. Damian was just helping out watching over Keystone. Milagro, who had just returned from Oa, kindly agreed to watch over Central for the time being. He just hoped Irey wouldn't try to get back into the mix the moment she woke up. Sometimes the speedster pushed herself way too hard.

* * *

More than a week later….

It was around four in the morning when Irey finally regained full consciousness. At first she thought she was dreaming again (like all the other times) but as she slowly sat up she soon found differently. The young woman glanced around the dark room hoping she was alone only to be disappointed as she spotted a familiar bat snoozing in the corner next to her bed.

Irey suppressed the urge to throw something at him. He never really understood the fact that they were no longer together, but she had barely enough energy to lift her head. With an oomph she fell back and hit the pillows. Apparently that was enough noise to startle her sleeping visitor and before she knew it Damian was awake.

"You're awake." He gave her a rare smile before he let out a loud yawn and stretched.

"Thanks for pointing that out captain obvious" The speedster rolled her eyes."How long was I out for?" She whispered hoarsely rubbing her aching forehead. Guessing by all the flowers in her room it had been a while.

Damian ignored her sarcasm. "Over a week."

"What happened to me? I feel like I've been hit dead on by a train." She sighed looking at the bandages on her arms.

"I'll tell you the full version later, but basically you ran too fast and we pulled you out of some vortex then after some unforeseen circumstances you went into cardiac arrest." The former robin summarized, he didn't know how much she remembered.

"So what you're telling me is that I died?" she cut straight to the chase.

"Not exactly…"

"But yes?" the speedster interrupted. It was all coming back to her now.

"In a way."

"Damian, did I die? Yes or no."

"You know I'm not answering that question Irey." He replied. He really didn't want to go into that right now.

"Fine." She pouted silently; the speedster seemed to be contemplating something.

"Is it true?" she asked.

"Is what true?" Damian wasn't sure what she was getting at, but he suspected it had to do with what happened.

"Is he back?" she questioned. It almost looked like there was a form of fear in her eyes.

"Who?"

"_My father._" She replied. Her expression became unreadable as she awaited his answer.

"Yes." He responded. Damian wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing judging from her tone.

Irey regained a somewhat distant look for a moment; her expression was a mix between terror, fear, hurt and confusion. Not at all what Damian expected to see from a person who just found out that their dead father was alive. He it least counted himself lucky she didn't have a full on heart attack like last time.

"Are you alright Irey?" He asked her tentatively. She was startled out of her stupor.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Irey lied. "Just a little tired, I think I want to be alone right now." She was definitely thrown off guard. The speedster honestly didn't know what to think, she just needed to be alone.

"Ok, just call if you need anything." He whispered as he headed toward the door.

"Oh and Damian."

"Yes?"

"Please don't tell them I'm awake, not yet." She pleaded. Irey wasn't ready to confront them yet.

"Ok. I won't." he promised and left the room.

* * *

Little did they know Wally was watching the whole interaction through the window. The speedster had been there for some time watching his daughter due to the fact he couldn't sleep. He knew he had so much to catch up on and make up for. The father ever wondered if he could reconnect with his daughter. He feared he would remain a stranger.

"How is she?" Wally asked Damian as he exited the room.

"She's been better, but I think she's going to be alright in time." The bat responded.

"That's good, is she still awake?" Wally hoped he could talk with her.

Keeping his promise Damian responded. "No sir, she fell asleep when I left and I think she wants to be alone right now anyways. You might want to try later."

"Ok, thanks for letting me know." The former Flash was slightly disappointed, he needed to talk to his daughter, but he respected her space.

"Anytime Mr. West." Damian nodded curtly before heading off to Keystone to patrol.

Wally returned to the little waiting alcove where Artemis slept on a small couch and sat in the chair next to his wife. He sat there trying to figure out what to say to Irey when he had the chance; he had a feeling she was not going to be as easy to reconnect with as Artemis was.

* * *

A silent tear slipped down Irey's cheek as she stared out into the vast emptiness of space. Her world was literally upside down, she didn't know how to react. The speedster had spent all these years trying to accept the fact that her father was never coming back and just when she finally comes to terms with it all he decides to pop out of the blue. It was enough to shake anybody, especially her. Irey spent all this time building up these walls around her heart, but they were reduced to rubble the moment her father came back into her life. All she wanted to do was scream, but she couldn't. She couldn't let them know she was hurting. She couldn't let them know she was weak. She wouldn't. She had to be strong, for herself and everyone else.

* * *

**So what did you think? There was a lot going on in this chapter. It might be confusing, but it will all make sense later on. If you want to find the poem that I'm kinda basing these past and next few chapters on you can find it on my tumblr ( im hockeygirl2814) or you can look it up on youtube, Its called **_**Lost along the way **_**or **_**Does this darkness have a name? **_

**Also I need help coming up with a name for a dog (for later on) it's Artemis's dog (so it has to be somewhat sentimental) (but witty and not too cheesy) (THIS IS NOT BRUCELY) (DIFFERENT DOG)Please let me know if you have any ideas. PM or review (it doesn't matter) Please tell me what you think of this chapter. Just take 15 seconds of your time and leave a review please, I worked hard on this chapter, it would be great to get some feedback. (please)**


	17. Comeback

**I would like to give a huge thanks to the reviewers, you people are really awesome and I appreciate your support and feedback. I really like to know what you guys think of my work. Also I fixed the tiny mistakes in the last chapter and added a few things it might be worth checking out before you read this chapter.**

**I only own the plot. **

Irey had been back at work for almost a week now. She was still trying to get back into the swing of things and make up for lost time. Damian and Milagro refused to let her patrol for another day or two so Irey could take more time to fully recover no matter how much the speedster insisted she was fine.

During the week she spent in the hospital after she woke up Irey bounced back faster than they expected. Within a day of regaining consciousness the speedster was already up and about. She talked with Damian and Milagro on the most part. It was purely coincidence that the lantern returned from Oa right before the incident. Either way Irey was glad her friend was back. The speedster talked to her mother a couple of times, but she avoided her father completely. She didn't want to talk to him. She couldn't talk to him.

When the doctor told her that she could finally go home Irey could not have left the med wing faster. She hated hospitals. They brought back to many painful memories of her Great Aunt Iris. During her sophomore year of high school Central City General was like a second home until her aunt tragically lost the battle to cancer. After that Irey avoided hospitals as much as possible.

When she got home Irey tried to dive back into work right away. The speedster even almost got away with patrolling Keystone but unfortunately Robin and GL caught her and sent her home after a lecturing her on how she should be resting. The only thing that stopped her from going back out was the fact that they threatened to tell her mother. Irey cringed at the thought of her mother hunting her down after finding that she tried to fight crime against doctor's orders.

Sitting around doing nothing drove Irey absolutely mad. She had to do something. So, after much deliberation, the speedster decided to go back to work early. After all the doctors never said anything about her day job.

Her first few days back were filled with catching up on paperwork and transferring her office up to the experimental physics department. Irey still had no clue why they wanted her there. All she knew was that someone at the top of the food chain recommended her for the position.

Today was supposed to be the day that Irey was going to be introduced to the project. Unfortunately the speedster did not have the best morning. First she missed her alarm clock, and then she missed the bus so instead she had to run to work. Overall most of her coworkers and superiors were very forgiving of her constant tardiness especially recently due to her 'car accident', but every so often her boss would lose his patience with her.

Irey tried to slip into her office without getting caught, sadly today was just not her day.

"Where's West?" Mr. Everett barked from down the hallway.

"Yes sir?" Irey popped her head out of her office.

"Where have you been? You should have been here an hour ago!" he reprimanded.

"I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again." She apologized.

"Don't make promises you can keep Iris." He warned her.

"Sorry sir. I'll _try_ my best to get here earlier." She said. Bob Everett grunted in reply and handed her a thick file.

"Walk with me." He ordered. Irey complied and walked beside him as he made his way to the lab.

Overcome with curiosity Irey took a peek at the file and was absolutely shocked with what she found. She was not expecting to see the words 'Cosmic Treadmill' printed out in bold on the first page. It was the first she'd even heard of the contraption in over a decade. Irey did her best to hide her surprise and anger. The speedster had no idea how Star Labs got ahold of the blueprints in the first place, but she now had a sinking suspicion that the league had something to do with her recent promotion.

"Sir. Where are we going?" She asked. It seemed like they had been walking down the endless hallway for a while now.

"There's someone you need to meet." The large man replied gruffly.

"Who?"

"The joint supervisor for the project."

"Joint supervisor?" Irey inquired as they turned the final corner and came up to a locked door.

"Yes, this project is a collaboration between Wayne Tech and Star Labs." He answered as he unlocked the door.

Anger flashed through the speedster as she inwardly cursed Damian. '_Damn him and his meddling. He just couldn't help himself; he couldn't let me live my life on my own. He just had to intervene. Next time I see him why I outta…' _she would've continued but she was interrupted by Mr. Everett as they entered the huge lab.

"West this is Mr. Tim Drake, the head of the project at Wayne Tech." Her boss introduced her.

Irey couldn't help but glare at the man as she came forward to shake his hand. "It's a _pleasure_ to meet you again, Mr. Drake." She said in a forced tone. She sent him a withering look that said '_Thanks for not telling me.'_

"It's nice to see you again Irey." He greeted her politely.

"Oh, so you two are already acquainted? That's good to know. Mr. Drake would you be kind enough to give West a tour of the lab and explain what we've done in her absence?"

"I'd be more then glad to." Tim agreed much to Irey's dismay. The speedster was simmering in anger, but she kept her cool.

"Good, I'll be in my office." Mr. Everett huffed as he headed out. Irey waited until he shut the door before she turned to Tim.

"Let's get this over with so I can get back to work." She hissed. The speedster would say more but she had to try to keep it professional.

"Understood." The man nodded.

"Just to let you know, I'm not happy about this. Not one bit. I should have been informed about this." She growled pointing to the file in her hand.

"It was a top secret project. You didn't have the clearance to know about it until now." He argued as they walked towards the machine.

"_Clearance_? I didn't have the clearance? I have more than enough clearance when it comes to this and you know it." Her voice dropped to a dead whisper, "_How dare you try to rebuild the treadmill without my permission."_

"Irey, you need to understand that this was out of my control. I'm just supervising the project. I didn't come up with it. I didn't know you were a part of it until today when you walked through the door." Tim replied.

"That is not the point I'm trying to get at. It's the fact you knew about the damn project and didn't even try to tell me. Does the league know?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Son of a bitch! This whole fucking time they didn't tell me!" She cursed. "I've seen enough of it right now, I know more than enough about the whole project. Next time you see Clark tell him next time the league builds a cosmic treadmill to make sure he has a speedster to run it. And tell Everett I'm taking the rest of the day off."

And with that she was out the door. The speedster felt so betrayed as she angrily dug through her pocket for her Flash ring. She was going to go up to the Watchtower and give them a piece of her mind. She would not stand for this. They still thought of her as some kid in a costume. Irey knew she had done more than enough to deserve the title of Flash, but to them she would always be the kid. Nothing angered her more than this. She barely got into her suit before she zeta-ed to the tower. As soon as she appeared through the tunnel she made her presence known.

"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT SON OF A BITCH SUPERMAN?" The livid Flash roared as she tore down the hall in search of Clark.

0o0o0o0

"This place looks almost exactly the same." Wally whispered as they pulled up to their house. The former Flash had finally been allowed to leave the watchtower.

"Not much has really changed Baywatch." Artemis smiled as she parked.

"It's good to be home." The redhead sighed.

"I agree." The archer sighed as she unlocked the front door. Wally stood in the entryway just to take it all in for a moment. Suddenly a thundering howl was heard from the second floor and a large rust colored labradoodle bounded down the stairs.

"Who's this?" The speedster asked as Artemis greeted her dog.

"Skippy, adopted him a few years ago from the shelter. He kept me company." She answered.

Wally tried to pet the dog but instead was met by a growl and teeth. "I don't think he likes me."

"He just has to get used to you." The archer assured her husband.

"Yeah, hopefully." Wally was pretty sure the dog was glaring at him.

"Let's go find your stuff in the attic, I kept most of it." Artemis suggested.

"Sounds like a plan, I'd rather wear my own clothes anyway." Wally smiled and followed Artemis up the stairs.

The couple spent the next hour or so sorting through all of the clothes until the phone rang.

"Hello?" Artemis answered. Wally listened in carefully.

"What happened?"

"Irey did what?"

"Is she ok?"

"Is Clark ok?"

"So you have it all under control?"

"Ok, that's good."

"Ok, thanks for letting me know Conner. I'll try to call her later when she calms down. Ok bye." Artemis put the phone down and sighed.

"What was that all about?" Wally asked.

"Well apparently Irey just found out that they were rebuilding the cosmic treadmill at work today and she wasn't happy about it."

"Wait what? Where does she work?" The father hated the fact he knew so little about his daughter anymore.

"Star Labs."

"Wow." Wally smiled proudly before getting back on task. "But shouldn't have she known if they were doing such a thing, I mean she is the Flash."

"That's what I thought, but apparently not. According to Conner she rushed in about an hour ago and confronted Clark about it." Artemis continued. Even though her daughter had her father's looks she had her mother's temper.

"She really did that?" The former flash was stunned that someone would do that to the head of the league.

"She does it all the time. She and Clark don't get along. It's probably the reason she wont join the league." Artemis answered.

"She's not in the league?" Wally was shocked at this.

"Nope, she wants nothing to do with the league. It's sad too. They really could use a speedster."

"Speaking of things our daughter wants nothing to do with, it's not hard to tell that she's avoiding me." The father sighed sadly. "Artemis, what do I do?"

"Give her time Wally. She needs to come to term with it all fist before you talk to her." The archer advised.

"How do you do it Artemis?" he whispered.

"How do I do what?" She asked.

"How do you bear seeing our children like this?" The speedster was at a loss.

"Everyday is a struggle, but somehow I make it through. We're going to get through this _together_." The archer welcomed her husband's embrace.

"I love you Artemis." He whispered into her ear.

"I love you too Wally, don't worry. We're going to figure this out some how." She assured him again.

Wally gave the portrait of his daughter on the wall a longing glance. "I hope so…"

**So? What did you think? Happy? Sad? Mad? Confused? Please let me know what you think, I really like feedback and it takes 15 seconds. Please? (out of the kindness of your heart?) It make my day to get feedback from my readers. **


	18. Crossroads

**Hi guys, thanks for all of the reviews, favs and Follows. You guys rock. Please let me know what you think of this chapter.**

**"It's sad when someone you know becomes someone you knew"**

**-Unknown**

**Only the plot is mine**

Irey was still fuming as she made her way home. The moment she reached her apartment she slammed the door shut and sank to the floor and buried her face in her hands. The speedster felt crushed by the weight of everything. She was angry, sad, hurt, lonely, resentful and scared.

She just wanted to scream until air would no longer fill her lungs. Her heart felt sore and heavy in her chest as she fought the tears burning in her eyes. Irey felt so belittled after she stormed out of the watchtower. It angered her that they wanted her to be a full time league member still yet they forget to even mention that they were building another cosmic treadmill to her. She was the Flash for goodness sake, not Kid Flash or Impulse. Nevertheless they still treated her like she was a reckless headstrong teenager, not like the mature controlled speedster she was today. Usually it didn't get to her, but today was different. The league thought they knew what they were doing building another treadmill, in fact, they had no idea what horrors such a device was truly capable of.

The league was a small problem compared to her other issue; confronting her father. Seven whole years had passed since they last talked. A lot can change in seven years. Irey hated how he thought he still knew her. She may be his daughter but she was not the 17 year old he once knew, _not anymore_.

Every time she looked at him she couldn't help but feel abandoned. The tragic memories from after his death came back to haunt her every time she looked at her father's face. Seeing the empty seat next to her mother at high school graduation. Patrolling the city without him. Putting an empty casket into the ground. Looking into the mirror to only see his reflection instead of hers. Hopelessly looking for him, denying the fact he was dead. Watching his absence slowly tear her family apart. _Everything._

She wanted to be happy that he was alive, she wanted to be happy that he was back, but Irey couldn't find it within herself. So she retreated, built up her walls, put on another mask to hide her feelings. Maybe Jai was right, deep down she was just a scared little girl. That's what it felt like. At that moment she just wanted to throw in the towel and admit defeat.

The young woman sighed, fighting to suppress the sob rising in her chest. Her miserable emerald gaze pinned on the floor with her eyes brimming with tears. The weight of the despair pressed her against the cold floor. Irey felt as if she were about to break. Her mind screamed for her to give up but amidst all the pain her heart refused to yield.

Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet. The speedster shoved all thoughts of resentment, anger and sadness to the back of her mind. Irey peered at her reflection in the darkened window barley recognizing herself. The person she saw was a sad, weak, pathetic, helpless, stranger. Irey was _not_ weak. She was _not_ pathetic. She was _not_ helpless. Determination sparked in her eyes and her expression hardened. The speedster vowed never to lose herself. No matter how bad things got, she would not become a stranger to herself.

The speedster threw her house keys on the counter and broke out a TV dinner from the freezer. Carelessly she tossed the meal into her microwave. Irey was preoccupied with thought as she went through the messages on her answering machine. Most were from work, Milagro and a few from her mother, but there was one that grabbed her attention.

"_Irey, it's your Father. I know that you want nothing to do with me right now, but it would be nice if I could get a chance to talk with you again, to get to know you again. Please Irey, let me take you out to lunch. I know you're busy, but can you find it in your schedule and in your heart to play 20 minutes of catch up with your old man? I Love you…Bye."_

Irey stood there paralyzed. She waited until all the other messages were through to grab the phone. The speedster stared at it for a minute contemplating whether or not to dial in the familiar number and call him back. Part of her wanted to, but the other half still wasn't ready to forgive him. Irey started to dial the number but she stopped herself realizing she couldn't go through with it. She wasn't ready to face him. Bitter tears silently streamed down her cheek as the inner struggle with her demons raged on within her sore heart.

0o0o0o

"Looks like Irey put away the Icicle yesterday." Wally mused from behind his paper.

"Which one?" His wife asked while pouring herself more coffee.

"Jr. Senior. Since when did he cause mayhem in Keystone?" The speedster still wasn't caught up yet. Wally knew he had a lot to learn.

"Since he broke out of Belle Reve a year or two ago. I really don't know why he never went back to Star, but I'm glad that asshole is back in prison." Artemis detested Cameron Makhent.

"Is Jr. number two still on the loose?" Wally remembered the days when Izzy Makhent was one of the twin's greatest nemeses.

"I'm not sure, haven't heard her name in a while." The archer answered.

Wally nodded vaguely and continued reading the news. Artemis noticed the slight crestfallen look tracing his features as he continued to read. "Wally, what's wrong?" he couldn't fool her.

"It's been a week since I called and still nothing." He sighed.

"Baywatch, she just needs her space right now." The blonde tried to assure him.

Wally set his paper down on the table. "I think I've given her more than enough space." The speedster argued.

"Wally, I think you should wait a little longer, be patient with Irey." Artemis insisted.

"I've been more than patient with her, it's time we talk."

"I don't think it's a good idea, it least not yet." The archer disagreed.

"Then what do you think I should do?" He said in a loud tone.

"I think you should wait."

"I'm done waiting Artemis. That's it! I'm talking to Irey now whether she wants to or not." The former flash proclaimed. He left the table in a blur while Artemis shook her head and let out a heavy sigh, sometimes Wally was too stubborn for his own good.

0o0o0o

It was around midday when Wally walked through the doors of star labs. The former flash was surprised they let him in so easily. Soon the father found himself being escorted to his daughter's office.

"I'm sorry sir, she's not here right now. Maybe you should come back later." The assistant suggested as she saw the empty office.

"No, that's fine, I can wait for her." He assured the short mouse like woman. She nodded and made her way back down the hall.

Wally waited there for 15 or so minutes before he decided to look around for her. The speedster followed the sound of voices and found a bunch of people crowded around a TV in what looked to be a break room.

"Has anybody here seen Iris West?" he asked.

"West?" A gruff man barked. "Nah, she left 20 minutes ago on lunch break. Anything we can help you with?"

"No, I just need to talk to her. When will she be back?"

"Probably in about an hour, depends on how late she is getting back from lunch." The man informed Wally before turning back to the TV screen.

Being the curious man he was Wally peered in closer. The news was on showing the Flash fighting Gorilla Grodd. The former hero was shocked to see that the old fuzzbutt was still kicking. Soon he was engrossed with watching the battle like the others. An overwhelming sense of pride swelled up in the speedster's chest as he saw his daughter in action, but at the same time it only made him miss her even more. He noticed the change in her fighting style and how serious she was. Flash was not supposed to be serious or restrained or controlled. That was just not how speedsters worked, it was against their very nature. Wally found it very strange that she was moving so slow.

0o0o0o0o

Flash wiped the sweat off her brow and glared up at the tar colored gorilla in front of her.

"Foolish child, you can't stop me!" He taunted menacingly.

A fresh wave of anger washed over the speedster as she dashed out of the way of a falling car. There was nothing more that she hated than being called a child.

"I'm not foolish, nor am I a child." She hissed venomously as she flew at the enormous primate. Irey was trying to ignore the fact that she couldn't even reach her normal high speed. She was barley managing a villain that she could normally wipe the floor with in 45 minutes.

Flash relied more upon her combat skills rather than her powers as she fought Grodd, it was an uncommon sight.

The large ape let out a harsh cackle, "Child, you're unwise to deny such things. If you were even half the Flash your father was or his successor was, you'd know that-"

Grodd had hit a nerve. Irey didn't even let him finish that sentence. The speedster let out a furious roar and charged the primate. She heard a satisfying crack of bone as he hit the asphalt.

From there she let the cops handle the rest, she knew Grodd wasn't going anywhere soon and Irey had other issues to deal with. Over the past few weeks she had noticed that she couldn't run as fast as normal, but she always thought of it as part of her recovery. That was until today, something wasn't right and she was going to Star Labs find out.

Wally decided that he should come back later as soon as he over heard Irey's boss mentioning to one of the other techs that she was going to be late due to traffic. He knew she was probably not coming back for some time if at all so he headed down the stairs. He never was one for elevators. As the former Flash walked towards the exit he accidently bumped into another person walking in.

As the father turned the individual he was shocked to find it was none other than his daughter in costume. Their eyes met for a second, but to them it was a lifetime.

"_Irey…" _he uttered in an almost silent whisper.

Flash just turned away, pretending that she didn't know the man beside her. Her expressionless face held strong as she walked down the hall. She could feel his eyes on her back, and it burned, but she didn't show any weakness, not here, not now.

Wally stood there gaping for a moment. Pain was tearing at his insides. When he learned that Bart died it was agonizing. When he heard his son was a traitior it was heartbreaking. When Irey walked away as if he meant nothing to her it was absolutely _devastating_.

**So…..What did you think? What do you want to see next? How do you think it will all turn out? How will Jai learn about wally. How will Wally talk to Irey, What important role do you think Artemis will play in the coming chapters?**

**Hehehe I wonder if any of you can guess. C'mon, I dare you. REVIEW PLEASE**


	19. Rooftop Confessions

**Hi guys, thanks for all of the support or feedback. I'm going out of town so this is the last chapter for a while. Enjoy**

**I only own the plot**

* * *

"I'm sorry Flash. All of the tests concluded that you're in perfect physical condition." The doctor reported.

"Are you sure? Did you double check?" The scarlet speedster asked.

"Positive. We don't know why you're losing your powers. Have you experienced any traumatic events lately? This might be something like PTSD." He suggested.

"No, it must be something else." She lied. "Thank you for your time."

"Flash, be sure to come back if it gets worse." The doctor added as the speedster walked to the door.

"Ok, I'll do that."

* * *

After changing back to her civvies Irey popped back into the office for half an hour. She finished her daily paperwork and then dragged her fatigued self home.

Emotionally, she was drained. At the moment she had nothing left in her. Irey didn't even bother to take the bus; instead she walked at a human pace. Numbness consumed the speedster as her feet carried her home.

The twenty minute walk back to her apartment somewhat cleared her head. Irey did her best to forget it all, her father, Jai, her speed…. the list goes on and on. Ignorance is bliss, that was until an all too familiar voice interrupted her thoughts as she walked through the alley behind her building.

"Irey."

The redhead turned around so fast she almost got whiplash. It was hard for her to meet his eyes at first, but then her expression hardened with resentment and spite as she glared at him.

"_Dad_." She snarled darkly.

"We need to talk." The former Flash demanded.

"What is there to talk about?" the speedster said bitterly.

"We've got seven years to talk about." He argued. Wally was starting to get frustrated.

"If you want to know what happened the past seven years Google it or ask mom, I've got nothing to say. Not to you." She said bitterly and started to turn away.

"Is that any way to talk to your father?" Wally questioned, his voice full of disdain.

She sent him a nasty look and hissed, "I wouldn't know. _My_ father died seven years ago."

"IRIS PAULA WEST! Don't you dare walk away from me!" The father shouted. He saw that she was just trying to hurt him. Wally would not stand for this behavior.

Irey turned back around; a defiant look gleamed in her emerald eyes. She was about to say something, but the sound of sirens and pleas for help echoed in the distance. The hero glanced toward the noise and then back at her father.

"Sorry _Dad_, duty calls." She said coldly as she pulled the flash ring out of her pant pocket. Before he could respond she darted out of the alley in an angry red blur.

Wally considered following her for a second, but he figured she would distant herself even more if he did that. He could tell she was hurting. The eyes of a woman her age should never be that dark. The former flash wondered what kind of hell his daughter went through to change her into this. _Was this his fault?_

Though one thing was for sure; he was not going to give up on Irey.

* * *

After stopping a bank heist led by Boomerang and his cronies Irey no longer had any desire to return home. Frankly, she just wanted everything to disappear, her problems gone in a puff of smoke. But things were never that easy.

Flash wondered around Keystone for a while then she found a nice comfortable perch atop one of the towers. Her curly red locks danced in the warm midnight breeze. The hero didn't give a damn that her cowl was down. She was so high up in the sky and it was dark, the chances of discovery were little to none. Irey needed the freedom for a moment.

The speedster felt transcendent as she observed the tiny cars and people below her. The feeling almost disgusted her as it reminded her of the final argument she had with her brother before he cut all of his ties with the family. Which then caused her to flash back to the fateful moment from over a month ago when she made the biggest mistake of her life. Irey was so deep in thought she didn't even notice Robin swoop in behind her on the rooftop.

"Are you alright Flash?" He inquired cautiously as he joined her on the ledge.

"Do I look alright?" Irey hissed then her expression softened. "Go away."

"Would you like to talk about it?" Damian asked gently.

She sent him a dirty glance. "No."

The fifth robin let out a small sigh of frustration. "Whatever it its Flash, the problem is not going to go away by simply ignoring it."

"Why are you in my city?" she questioned, trying to get off topic.

"Changing the subject will not help either." He stated plainly.

"My problems are none of your damn business." She replied darkly.

"Why is it that you push anyone who gives a shit about you away?" he growled in frustration and then whispered. "_Iris, I want to help you_."

Irey was surprised by the fact that he used her real name. Damian never used her real name, it least not since the day her Aunt Iris died. It sounded strange and reminded the speedster of the teenage romance she once shared with Robin.

The speedster looked away. He didn't need to see the tears in her eyes. "I don't need your help." She sniffled.

"You were always a terrible liar." He commented. "Does this have something to do with the return of your father?"

Irey contemplated smacking Damian, but instead she broke down. To hell with her pride, she could no longer hold it all in. "He thinks he can just barge right back into my life like nothing has changed. Everything has changed! He thinks he still knows me. He acts like he wants to save me. He wants to 'talk', but all he's going to do is question my choices and actions. I don't need his fucking opinion to do my damn job. If he wants to save someone he can find Jai and yell at him. That asshole deserves a good lecture and a smack on the wrist if you ask me." She ranted while Damian listened.

"I know you well enough that you are not avoiding confrontation with your father because you don't want to be criticized." He called her out.

"How would you feel if your father came back from the dead seven years after you moved on? I saw him vanish and I denied it until Jai nearly killed me. I took up his mantle and made a name for myself. I escaped his shadow. I overcame so much. Then he came back and now it's like I'm back to square one. I've lost all respect I've gained with the league. They don't even think it's necessary to inform me that they are building a goddamn cosmic treadmill. I don't need his advice or his damn shadow."

"Irey, just because your father came back doesn't mean you're any less or a person or a hero. It's not like he's going to take back the Flash mantle." He comforted.

"It's not that. When he died it was like my heart was ripped out of my chest. I cried myself to sleep at night for months afterward because every time I closed my eyes I would see his death all over again. Do you know what it felt like to put an empty coffin into the ground? No closure. No answers. No body. It added a false hope. The same false hope that tormented me for years as I struggled to grasp that he was never coming home. I always wanted to believe he was still out there, and I guess I was right. But that was after I finally accepted that he was gone. When my father returned I was so shaken, so full of doubt, that I questioned even my simplest action. I want to love him and talk to him again but every time I look at him I cant forget all the pain I went through. There's something inside of me that just can't forgive him." Irey confessed. A fresh set of tears streamed down her freckled face.

"Is it that you can't forgive him? Or is it that you can't forgive yourself?" The bat inquired.

Irey's lip quivered slightly and her eyes stung with tears. She seemed distant for a moment. It was as if she was contemplating something else on her guilty conscience. "It's my fault! It's my entire fault. I saved that bastard from the speed force. I gave up my bloody life for that asshole. He didn't even deserve it!" the speedster tearfully raved.

"Pardon? Whom are you talking about?" Damian was lost in the disarray.

"JAI! I saved him! Even after everything. I was trying to get him sucked into the force like my father and uncle. I could still stop but he couldn't. I was just about to turn back when I glanced at him and thought I caught a glimpse of my big brother for a moment. My conscience got the best of me and I saved him. I had one chance to make sure he wouldn't hurt anybody else. I had one chance to stop him for good. But I was too weak to kill him. It's all my fault…." She sobbed into his shoulder as he offered her an embrace.

It all made sense to Damian now. He had been trying for weeks to figure out how exactly Jai survived, though he never expected this.

"Shhhh Irey. It's ok. It's ok." He cooed as he rubbed gentle circles on her back. "It's not your fault. You're not weak. You're the strongest girl I've ever met, it's one of the reasons why I love you so much."

"You're lying, I'm a screw-up." Flash bawled.

Damian took her by the shoulders and held her at arms length so he could look her in the eyes. "No you aren't! Don't you feel sorry for yourself Irey! Don't you dare wallow in your guilt. That's not you. That's not the speedster I fell in love with. You are stronger than this!" The Wayne heir almost growled.

He stared into her beautiful emerald eyes and waited for a response. Her face was twisted with pain and regret. When her features suddenly softened he was not expecting her soft pink lips to crash into his. Damian was ridged for half a second from shock of Irey's actions before he melted into the passionate embrace.

Soon their kisses intensified and both heroes left each other breathless.

"Take me home lover boy." The redhead whispered into his ear.

Damian wore a knowing smirk and pulled out his grapple gun. "As you wish my love." He teased as Irey held on tight.

* * *

…..

Later that night the two lovers lay entwined under the sheets in the speedster's apartment. Irey lay her head on Damian's bare muscular chest while he played with her frizzy red curls.

"Thank you." She said out of the blue.

"For what?" he wondered.

"Listing. Believing in me. Telling me what I needed to hear."

"It was nothing, you'd do the same thing for me if I needed it." He smiled.

Irey was about to reply but Damian's phone went off in his pant pocket across the room amidst all the other stray garments.

"Who the hell would call you at three thirty in the morning?" The speedster asked as the raven-haired man got up. She enjoyed the view as he made his way to his pants. Irey giggled as she silently made fun of his superman boxers.

"Batman." He replied with a deep-hearted chuckle before answering the phone. Within seconds of taking the call all amusement and color drained from his face. You could tell his body went cold.

"If this is a joke Todd I will rip your face off." Damian threatened over the phone. His eyes grew dark and they held a definite aspect of concern.

"Ok Grayson, I'll get there as fast as I can." He promised and hung up.

"What happened?" Irey asked as the unretired Robin frantically gathered the rest of his clothes.

"Bruce had a heart attack."

* * *

**Please tell me what you think. Feedback is what fuels this story and I really want to know what the thoughts are on the ending.**


	20. Unbecoming a Stranger

**Hey guys, sorry it took so long to update. My muse kinda died after endgame. I'm still recovering right now. I hope this chapter is sufficient.**

**Only the plot is mine. It's all mine!**

* * *

Jai West glared out the window of his muggy apartment. It was another steamy August morning. The temperature rested just below 90 degrees and the sun blazed unforgivingly as it climbed in the sky. His mask hung limply in his grip as he observed the citizens of Central City go about their daily lives down below. It had been weeks since he had last donned the cowl. The speedster had not made an appearance since the incident with Irey. The very same incident he had tried his best to forget, the bitter memory caused him many sleepless nights.

Jai glanced at the yellow fabric in his hand and then looked back down at the people. They looked so peaceful as they went up and down the sidewalk. The cars in the street moved smoothly through morning traffic. It was the start of what seemed to be a quiet day for Central. Zoom slipped on his mask and a malicious smirk split across his devious expression. It was time to stir up trouble and put an end to the peaceful silence. Central City was due to another dose of his mayhem and maybe if he was lucky he could finally sort things out with Flash. _Permanently_.

* * *

"Damian, it's good to hear from you. How are you holding up?" Irey answered her phone. It had been almost a week since they had last spoken.

"Better than I thought. The doctors say he is going to be ok. But..."He broke off. The speedster had a bad feeling in her stomach. Something was wrong. Damian wasn't this uncertain unless something was incredibly wrong.

"But?" she replied nervously. This didn't sound good.

"Bruce's heart cannot withstand the strain he puts on it. He has no choice but to retire the cape." he confided with a heavy sigh. "The responsibility is going to fall upon one of us."

"How do you feel about that?" the speedster asked. She was doing her best to be there for him, but it seemed like she never had the right words to say. It killed her inside that she seemed too distant to him.

"I-I really don't know. I'm still trying to process it all. I am rather hesitant to take up the mantle." Damian stuttered. Irey was shocked. _Damian never stuttered._

"I'm here for whatever you need." She consoled. Irey knew the dilemma he faced. Three years ago she faced in herself.

"I know." he sighed. "Irey, there is one thing I need you to do."

"Anything." The young woman agreed.

"You need to talk to your father." he ordered. "You've been avoiding this for long enough. It's time to make amends. Your family is not going to be there forever."

Irey bit her tongue to keep her temper in check, "Ok." She reluctantly agreed.

"I'm not saying you have to do it now, but sooner rather than later." Damian added.

"I'll keep that in mind." she murmured. Her stomach did a backflip. The woman was not ready for this, but then again she was not one for waiting either.

"Thank you for your time Irey. I'll be in touch." he promised.

"Send my regards to your family. I'm just a call away if you need anything." She replied distantly and then hung up. Thoughts of confronting her father flooded her mind.

* * *

Damian was right though. She needed to do this. It was time to swallow her pride, forget her resentment and face her father. If not for her sake then for her mother's. Artemis had been through more than enough. Irey owed her mother it least this much.

The speedster quickly finished up her progress report and made her way down to Everett's office.

"Here's the report on the project you asked for." She said as she dropped the file on his desk.

"West! I wasn't expecting this until this afternoon." he grunted in approval as he skimmed over the file. "This is probably the first time you haven't been late too. You want something don't you?"

Irey gave him her best smile. "Sir, can I take the rest of the day off? Please? I have something I need to do."

The gruff man took another look at the report. "Fine, this one time."

"Thank you so much sir." The speedster shouted over her shoulder on her way out.

* * *

In her office her smile was replaced with a more nervous expression. It was now or never. Irey gathered her things and picked up the phone. She dialed the number and prayed that it would be her mother to pick up.

"Hello?" Artemis answered much to Irey's relief.

"Hi Mom." Irey squeaked.

"Irey! Are you hurt? Are you in trouble?" The mother asked in a concerned manner. It was unlike her daughter to call unless she needed help. The archer was definitely surprised

The speedster rolled her eyes, "No Mom. Why is it that every time I call you assume I'm either dying or I've committed a felony? Actually I was wondering if you and Dad wanted to go to lunch with me this afternoon. Can you?"

Artemis seemed astonished. "It's because you rarely call dear. And we would love to! Where would you like to meet?"

Well there was no turning back now. "There's that new cafe in downtown Central. It's a nice day, we can sit outside." Irey offered.

"That sounds good. We can meet you there in thirty minutes if that sounds good." her mother agreed.

"Great! I'll see you then Mom."

"Bye Irey."

* * *

The redhead hung up and tried to ignore the butterflies dancing in her stomach. The speedster kept reminding herself that this was the right thing. She just needed to confront her father. It was the first step she needed to take in order to make things right.

Irey grabbed her things and rushed home. The speedster pushed all of her worries to the side and concentrated on trying to be happy. She didn't want her parents to worry about her.

* * *

"...Ok Mom. I'll be there in a minute." Flash hesitantly promised her mother as she walked out of the zeta tube. The hero was about to change into her civvies when a familiar figure stepped out of the shadows.

"Well…Well...What do you know, look what the cat dragged in." The man sneered.

"You!" She hissed. The speedster's body went stiff. Why did he have to show up and ruin everything! Irey didn't need this happen now. "What are you doing here?"

"Hunting elephants..._What the fuck do you think I'm doing?_!" He exclaimed.

A venomous growl escaped the young woman's throat. "What the hell do you want!?"

"To finish what we started." Zoom proclaimed. _"There's only room for one speedster around here."_ He growled before he vanished in a blur.

Irey shot out after her brother, but it was no use. She was too slow to catch up. The speedster tried to push herself harder and harder to catch up with her nemesis. She knew that she couldn't physically combat Jai right now with her powers not working. It was going to take brains not brawn to stop Zoom. The odds weren't in her favor, but Irey was still going to damn well try.

* * *

"She's not going to show up." Wally sighed. He was disappointed in his daughter. The speedster couldn't believe that Irey would stand them up like that. She was the one who invited them to lunch in the first place.

Artemis took another sip of her drink and checked her phone again. "Wally, she's probably just running a few minutes late. Maybe she had to stop a mugger or something." the archer suggested.

Suddenly a yellow streak followed by a scarlet blur blow by. Wally was able to get a clear view of both of his children. He saw everything from the malicious smirk adorned on his son's face to his daughter's determined glare.

He didn't know how Artemis did it. It absolutely killed him inside to catch a glimpse of them like this. Seeing his children destroy each other slowly was almost too painful to bear. The hate between the twins was so strong Wally could feel it as they zoomed past. How did it get this way?

"Or something..." The former Flash echoed distantly.

His wife took his hand. "She's going to be fine Baywatch." The blonde assured him half-heartedly.

"From what I'm told, the last two times they fought Irey wound up seriously injured." The redhead argued. He dug into his pocket to find one of his old flash rings.

"Irey can handle herself dear. If she needs help she'll call." Artemis told him. Wally glanced at his palm and put the ring back into his pocket.

"I'm just worried about her_. Something's wrong_. I've watched her on the news and just now, there's something definitely off with her. Her movements look strained and forced. She's moving too slow." the worried father whispered, he feared for Irey. "_She was struggling to catch up to Jai."_

* * *

Zoom spat blood out onto the street with a curse as Flash swung another blow. This time he caught her fist in his and sent her flying.

"Since when were you such a slowpoke?" He asked in a caustic snarl. Irey wiped the blood off her cheek and sent him a deadly glare.

"I'm fast enough to beat you!" She roared and swept his feet out from under him with a kick. Before he could get up Irey positioned her boot on his neck.

A dark smirk crossed his features. "Are you going to do it this time?" Jai taunted. _"Are you finally going to kill me?"_

"I don't have to kill you to take you down." Irey scowled; inside she prayed he wouldn't call her bluff. Flash was too slow to react when he grabbed her ankle and yanked her down to the ground. The scarlet speedster's body exploded with pain as she connected with the cold, hard pavement. She ignored the fresh copper taste in her mouth and tried to pull herself up.

"_Wrong_." Zoom sneered, looking down upon her. "You're too weak to do it! You were too weak to finish me off the last time and you're too weak to finish me off this time!"

Rage flowed through the woman like a vicious river of boiling lava and she flung herself at her brother. "You're a coward! Your words mean nothing to me Jai." She hissed and threw another right hook.

Zoom flipped his sister over his shoulder and Irey met the concrete with a loud crack. This time she couldn't get up. Her body refused to move. The frantic speedster turned to see the villain charging towards her. Now she had no other choice than to call for help.

Grimacing, she brought her arm to her ear and activated her radio. "Flash to watchtower, requesting urgent assistance." Irey called out in desperation. She rolled over, just missing a shot from Zoom. Dodging his blows was all the speedster could do, as she lay bloody and broken on the sidewalk.

* * *

_"Flash to watchtower, requesting urgent assistance."_

The former scarlet speedster's blood ran cold as his daughter's panicked voice came out the tiny earpiece the league gave him.

"Artemis?" he said urgently, pulling the ring out of his pocket. The look on his face was full of desperation and contempt.

She nodded seeing the ring. "Go." the blonde whispered.

Without another word the father rushed out into the alley behind the cafe. A sense of nostalgia came over him as he pulled on the slightly tight costume for the first time in seven years. Though there was no doubt he was retired, it was time Wally had a little chat with his son.

* * *

"_You're pathetic."_ Jai spat bitterly at his sister he had pinned against a building. For her there was no escape. Irey closed her eyes and prepared for the worse but the blow she was expecting never came.

Flash opened her eyes just in time to see a red blur knock her brother off of her. Relief washed over the speedster as she sank to the ground to catch her breath.

Zoom looked like he had seen a ghost as the red figure from his past knocked him off of his balance. "It can't be-it's not possible." Jai stuttered as he faced what he thought to be the ghost of his father.

"Oh it's possible." Wally frowned at his only son. Discontent burned in his green eyes.

"No! You're dead!" Zoom shouted. He rushed up to the man in denial and tossed an angry blow.

Wally caught the punch Jai threw at him and dodged all of the other blows that were pitched. He could read Zoom like a book, predicting almost every move. His disappointed scowl never changed. It covered up his breaking heart.

Irey looked upon the spectacle with astonishment before taking this as her chance to flee.

"Son, stop it." Wally commanded.

Jai sent him a defiant glare. "How?"

"That is none of your concern." The former Flash stated calmly.

"Then if it's none of my concern then why are your here?" Zoom demanded. A malicious grin briefly split across his face. "_Come to scrape your replacement off the sidewalk?"_

The father's glare intensified. "You know, all those things your mother told me about you about how you were a lost cause I never believed. I still had faith in you son. I hoped there could be a way to find redemption, but it seems that you have proved me wrong. You're too full of hate and spite to change. _We used to be a family!"_

"You have no room to talk!" the villain roared lividly.

The young man pushed his way past Wally. The former flash grabbed his son's arm, stopping him. _"Jai…"_

"Stay out of my way old man." Zoom growled, yanked his arm from his father's grip and sped off into the distance.

Wally let out a heavy sigh. He missed the days when they were all a happy family. Now they were barely a family. The man turned to where Irey was to only find she had slipped away too. Where she went, he didn't know, but he knew his daughter well enough to have a good guess. Some things never change

* * *

It took a few tries, but Wally soon located the current scarlet speedster.

Irey sat on the ledge of the Grand Canyon and stared off into the distance. She had a lot to think about. The heroine didn't even notice her father sit down next to her she was in such deep thought. The afternoon sun was sinking in the horizon and the warm evening breeze danced through her unruly hair.

"Anything you want to talk about?" the father asked quietly.

Irey let out a sigh. Damian was right. There was no use in fighting it, she was done running from him. "Where do I even begin?"

"Well how about with what happened today." He suggested. From the disparaged look in her tear filled eyes he saw how lost and broken she was.

"What about today?" She asked.

"Irey, you know what I'm talking about. I may be old, but I'm still sharp enough to notice when something is wrong with my daughter."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm losing my powers." she confessed.

"Why?" he inquired gently.

"That's the problem. Physically there's nothing wrong with me, I went into Star Labs and they conducted all these tests and had no answers." Irey sighed. "_No one wants damaged goods. That's all I am now."_

"Have you ever considered that your problem might not be physical?" He questioned.

"No, but why would my powers vanish if it wasn't physical?" The young woman doubted.

"When Barry passed I had the same problem with my speed." Wally remembered.

"Then how did you fix it?"

"Well I did the same thing that you did at first. I took all the tests and had the same results. I tried to keep it all from your mother too, but she found out eventually." He recalled.

"What did mom do?" Irey wondered.

"She sat me down and told me I couldn't leave until I got everything off of my mind. We talked for hours and she helped me sort through everything. Once I got everything off my chest my problems with my speed went away too." He recounted. "You have to set yourself free from the past and move on Irey."

Irey nodded and took a deep, shaky breath. "Where do I start?"

"The beginning." He advised.

* * *

Irey told her father everything from her his death to Jai turning evil, to her taking up the mantle and her bitter feelings towards him after his return. It felt so good to get it all off her chest. The weight on her shoulders vanished and her heavy heart got a little bit lighter. Though there was some baggage that still remained with the few things she had yet to reveal.

"Can I tell you something?" Her father asked.

"Sure Dad." The speedster smiled weakly.

"I'm so proud of you sweetheart. For what you've become, for what you overcame and what you've accomplished." Wally boasted.

The young woman fought back some more tears and took her father's hand.

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret." The former hero squeezed his daughter's hand.

"From the first time I laid eyes on you and your brother I never doubted for a second that there was greatness in both of you. It's what you choose to do with that greatness that defines you." He smiled. "That lightning bolt on your chest defines you. _You've earned it_. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, and if they do give 'em hell."

Irey's lip quivered slightly. "Oh Dad…" the speedster whimpered and buried her head into his shoulder. "I missed you so much!" she sobbed.

Wally held her close and comforted her. "I know dear, I know…."

"I was so lost, so afraid. I tried to stay strong for them, but I failed both Mom and Jai." She confessed.

"Irey you failed no one." He assured her.

She let out another sob. "_I did._ I knew something was wrong with Jai, but I ignored it until it was too late. I distanced myself from mom. I left her all alone!"

"What happened with your brother is not your fault." Her father frowned.

"Isn't it though? I was his sister! I should've seen the signs. Now we attempt to kill each other every time we cross paths." Irey bawled. "I've done terrible things. Do you know what I did when I entered the Speedforce?"

"Irey…" he began but she cut him off.

"I went into the fight that day with every intention to kill him. I _hated_ Zoom and I was ready to put an end to all of it. I led him out of the City and he easily fell into my trap. I was going to draw him into the speedforce. I had more control than he did and I planned to slow down at the last second, but when the final moment came I couldn't bring myself to go through with it. Instead of saving myself _I saved him_."

Wally's grip on his daughter tightened as he listened in astonishment. "Dear, you did what you thought was right at the time, you're not to blame for your brother's life choices."

"Well I guess some good came out of it." She looked up and sniffled. "You're back."

"I'm back…" He echoed. "…And I'm never leaving again."

* * *

"Thanks Dad." Irey smiled weakly. "I needed that."

"I'm here anytime you need me." The former Flash promised. "Just out of curiosity, why did you invite us to lunch?"

"A little birdie told me that it was time to make amends." The heroine smiled sheepishly.

"Ah, so your boyfriend was the one who finally brought you to your senses." Wally chuckled.

"He's not my boyfriend anymore. We broke up after graduation, but he did give me a wake up call this morning."

"Really? I thought you guys were still a thing. Maybe it was from the way that he looked at you in the hospital, but I just assumed that you were a couple." He wasn't sure if he was happy about this news or not. (Damian was not his favorite person)

"We're still friend though. Both of us are too busy for a relationship." She added.

"One last thing Irey. Don't forget to live your life. It's not all about work and protecting the city. Have fun. Live a little. Don't work yourself to death." Her father recommended.

She smiled and stood up. "I'll keep that in mind. Are you ready to go home? Mom's probably worried sick. Also it's been seven years since I've had the chance to run with my old man."

"I think so." He chuckled, pulled on his cowl and smirked. _"If you can handle it."_

She copied his action. "Oh I think I can. The question is can you keep up?" the current Flash teased.

"I may be old, but I'm not that old. I still have some mileage in me."

"You wanna race Flash?" She asked.

"Not today. Though a nice jog sounds good." Wally nodded. "And you're Flash now so don't call me that. It's your title."

"Ok Gramps…. Is that better?" She giggled.

"Not much, but it'll do for now."

"Good. On your mark, get set, go!" Irey shouted and they both were off. The speedster was relieved and overjoyed to find that her speed had returned. Nothing could hold her back now.

* * *

"So what's this I hear about you and Superman not getting along?" Her father asked.

"You want the cliff notes version or the whole story?"

"We've got time. Enlighten me on your reasons for hating the man of steel's guts…" He laughed. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

**So…what did you think? It's late, I'm about to pass out so leave a review and let me know what you think. I'll get back to you later. Thanks guys for reading. Don't forget to review! PLEASE?**


	21. A Night On the Town

**Hey guys, I'm sorry it's been over a month since I've updated. I've been super busy with school. I only have a week and a half left though so you'll be hearing more from me after then. I have finally figured the plot out for the rest of the story and have a few more chapters in the works that I will get out as soon as I can. Also thanks so much for the reviews. I love them. I can't wait to hear what you all think of this chapter. Well enjoy.**

**Edit: also for some reason email alerts weren't working so some of you might have already seen this chapter but all I did was go through and fix some things spellcheck didn't catch. Sorry for any inconvenience (if there is any)  
**

**Only the plot is mine!**

"So you and Damian again?" Milagro mused. The green lantern was perched on Irey's countertop busy with painting her toenails emerald green. The speedster cooking grilled cheese in the kitchen flinched slightly.

"We're not a thing Milagro, if that's what you're saying." Irey denied. "Our relationship has been over for years."

The green lantern looked up from her toes and gave her best friend a look. She wasn't buying it. "Then what's with you two hooking up a few weeks ago?" Milagro challenged.

The Flash gasped. "How did you know about that?" She was careful not to burn her batch of sandwiches while she glared at the lantern.

"I never reveal my sources." The Hispanic woman smiled smugly.

Irey studied Milagro's expression for a moment, "It was Nell, wasn't it?" she guessed.

Her best friend held up her arms in mock surrender. "Fine you caught me. But it's not exactly a secret, according to Batgirl you and Damian are the talk of the Bat family right now."

The speedster piled up a mound of grilled cheeses on her plate and gave one to Milagro. She savored the first bite of her sandwich before speaking. "So what? It's no big deal."

Milagro let out a frustrated sigh. "Stop lying."

Irey took another bite. "Well it wasn't," She denied again. Milagro gave her another 'I'm-not-buying-your-shit' look. "Ok fine. _So we had sex_! Not a big deal"

The lantern let out a squeal. "I knew it! You two are so getting back together."

"_No_!" Irey blushed. "It was just a one night stand. No strings attached."

The brunette shook her head. "Chica, with you two there are always strings attached. Stop denying it."

"I'm not. It was just we were at the same place at the same time and the moment was right, that's it." Irey answered.

The lantern grinned and played with her ring. "Oh you are so in denial now." She replied much to the speedster's dismay.

The red faced scientist sent the brunette a weak glare. "No." she huffed. "We're just friends. I don't have time for a relationship right now with all that is going on."

"Irey! You are the fastest woman on the planet. Don't you dare give me that crap." Milagro threatened harshly then frowned. She hated seeing her best friend like this. "I just want you to be happy."

The speedster sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Can we not discuss this now? Why are you here in the first place Milagro?"

The lantern's face quirked into a devious smile. "Girls night out."

Irey groaned. "Oh gosh, aren't we too old for this?"

"_Please_." Milagro snorted. "You're 24 years old Irey! The night is young. Live a little!"

"Do I have to?" The redhead whined.

The green lantern stood up and stretched her back. "_Yes_. I have already made plans and we're going to celebrate your birthday." She said firmly.

Flash knew there was no use arguing with her best friend once she set her mind on something. "But my birthday was in June." she protested.

"You haven't celebrated your birthday for years Irey! Even your 21st!" the young Hispanic heroine argued. "We are going out and we're going to have fun."

"But what about the cities?" Irey inquired. "Someone has to be on call if there's an emergency or attack."

Milagro crossed her arms and gave the speedster 'I'm-not-buying-your-shit' look. "I've got it covered. Jaime and Chris will take over for the night."

"_But_-" Irey began to protest.

"No buts! Now go put something decent on. You will not go clubbing in your old track shorts and a ratty shirt." The lantern ordered.

The speedster couldn't fight the smile tugging at her lips. "Yes _Mom_" Irey rolled her eyes as she headed down the hallway.

Milagro grinned. The lantern cleaned up the kitchen for her friend and used her ring to change into her own outfit.

Two minutes later Irey reappeared wearing a somewhat nice pair of shorts, a cute tank top and a jean jacket.

The brunette clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Irey, we're going clubbing, not to the mall."

"Can we please not go clubbing Milagro?" The speedster begged as she tried to pull her recently cropped hair into pigtails.

Crossing her arms the Green Lantern let out an exasperated sigh. She briefly remembered the days in her teens when Irey would be the one dragging her out to party. "Fine, but-"

Irey's cry of relief cut her off. "Oh thank god!"

"But, I still get to drag you around and you will have fun." The young woman finished. Milagro took her ring and changed her outfit into something more casual.

The speedster bit back a smirk; her emerald eyes sparkled with mischief. "How is it fun if you're dragging me around against my will?"

Her friend feigned a scowl. "It's called force fun smartass."

"Lemme guess." Irey grabbed her wallet and sunglasses off the counter. "You're going to try to get me drunk."

Milagro smirked, "How did you know?"

"Your brother tried to do the same thing with Bart." The speedster ignored the sad feeling building up in her chest "Bart ended up dragging Jaime all the way back to El Paso after the Vegas incident."

"Oh yeah, I remember that." The young brunette snorted. She remembered how mad her mother was when her brother had returned home drunk that night. Jaime had a killer hangover the next day too. He sure did learn his lesson.

There was a brief pause as both girls remembered the days when life was simple. Irey shook it off and tried to force her problems into the back of her mind. The speedster put on a small smile and walked to the door. "So where are we going?" She asked.

"Well I was thinking Gotham but that's probably a no," Milagro chuckled as they when down the stairs. "So we're going to Coast City."

"Anything cool going on there right now?" the redhead wondered.

The Green Lantern smiled. "You don't know the half of it. Get ready to have some fun chica."

"Ok." Irey chuckled. "But only if we get some good food."

Her best friend rolled her eyes. "_Speedsters._"

"What? It's my metabolism ok?" the young woman whined. "You're just jealous you can't eat as much as you want without gaining weight."

Milagro laughed and punched in the coordinates into the zeta tube. "Maybe just a little."

0o0o0o0

The two girls laughed as they walked along the boardwalk. The salty warm air felt good and somewhat refreshing to the speedster. Milagro was glad Irey had finally let loose again. The lantern remembers the days in her teens when her best friend was the life of the party. She misses the old Irey sometimes. It hurts so much to see her best friend carry around so much emotional baggage. Seeing Irey smile again was wonderful.

"So where to next Milagro?" The speedster giggled as she tore off another piece of her cotton candy. "We've gotten burgers, sushi and all the junk food you could imagine. We've been bowling and have ridden every ride at the carnival. Anything else in mind?"

The brunette grinned. "Let's go find a nice bar and catch up, it's been years since we've sat down and talked."

Irey nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I really want to hear about what you did during those five years in space."

Milagro ended up dragging the speedster halfway across town to a bar that had a nice mellow feel. Irey kind of liked it. It didn't smell like cigarettes or anything.

The two girls sat down at the counter and ordered their drinks and also a few extra snacks in Irey's case.

"Have you found a job yet?" the speedster asked her friend as she picked at the large basket of fries they had ordered.

The young heroine let out a groan. "Not really. Sometimes I take pictures for the El Paso paper but it doesn't pay much." She took a sip from her drink. "What I really want to do is find a well paying freelance job so I have a flexible schedule so if things from the corps come up I won't have to deal with the hassle of coming up with excuses for missing work. Jaime keeps wanting me to work at a secretary at his dental office, but I'd rather not."

Irey casually popped another fry into her mouth. "That sounds good. So what's outer space like?"

"It's huge." The Green Lantern explained. "You feel so small in comparison. And the billions of stars, it was beautiful." She smiled wistfully. "Though it seemed so empty. Lonely. I missed earth a lot."

"Five years is a long time to be away from home." The speedster agreed. She finished off the fries and ordered herself another drink.

"Yeah. Jaime forgot to feed my goldfish when I was away too." Milagro frowned. "He killed it and replaced it and killed that one too. Honestly I don't know how many goldfish he when through. One of these days I'm going to guilt him into buying me a puppy."

Irey laughed. "And when will that be?"

"Probably after I get a good job and a nice apartment and I don't have to constantly leave earth. I've always wanted to get my own dog." The Hispanic woman replied. She took another swig of her beverage and smiled. "Remember that time when we dyed Damian's costume pink and purple while he was still wearing it?"

The speedster snickered. "How could I forget? Do you remember _that _look on his face? He was so stunned. It was hilarious! Even Bruce cracked a grin."

"Those were the days." Milagro sighed as she played with the olive in her martini. "So what's going on with you?"

"Work mostly. Also reconnecting with my Dad." She answered. "It's hard connecting with him again, but we're making it work."

"That's good to hear." Milagro smiled. "So tell me about Damian. What's going on between you and him?"

Irey groaned and murmured something unpleasant. "Not this again."

0o0o0o0

It was about four in the morning in Keystone time when Irey pulled her half conscious best friend through the zeta tube. The speedster draped the Green Lantern over her shoulder and dashed back to her apartment. Once she arrived she dumped Milagro on the couch and made her own way to her bed. Irey didn't even bother to change her clothes. The redhead was asleep before her head even hit the pillow. She was exhausted, but she had a good night. It felt nice to take a break for once.

**So what did you think? I know it's all fluff but I promise more action in the next few chapters (so much action that you might just die of feels). I really want to know what you all think of this. Also anonymous reviewers if you want me to respond to your review you can just ask me in my ask box on tumblr and I will try to answer it asap. I'm Hockeygirl2814 (or you can use the link in my profile) Please tell me what you think of this.**

**Also we're to the point in the story where it's about to go into the final arc but I really want to know what you all think is going to happen next. I have almost all of it planned out but I'm curious to where you all think this story is going. Maybe for the person who's guess is the closest gets a oneshot (within reason) or something. As I said, I'm very interested to see what you all think is going to happen next.**

**And Liveo44, thanks so much for all of the reviews and suggestions but I'm sorry to say it will be extremely unlikely for Irey to get a sidekick from the way things in the story are going right now and the direction things are going. Things might work their way out in the epilogue though (but I make no promises) Thank you so much for your feedback and reviews, i do take them into account, it's just a sidekick doesn't fit into the plot at all. It'll make more sense once I finish the next two chapters.  
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	22. Fall Back Together

**Hey guys long time no see. Sorry it took forever to get this chapter up. Please dont kill me for taking this long. I know it's like a month into summer too. I totally intended to have this out like three weeks ago. But I was kinda busy and i totally forgot about this and I had a little bit of writer's block. But that's enough with the excuses you guys just want to read the chapter now. Sorry it's not my best and it's fluffy but i promise next chapter will have action.**

**Only the plot is mine**

"Dad?" Irey asked softly looking up from her paperwork. "Can I ask you something?"

Wally set down the morning paper and took a sip from his coffee. He and Irey were sharing brunch at their favorite café in a small town outside of Keystone.

"Sure honey." Small creases formed at the corners of his eyes as he smiled.

"When did you first know you were in love with mom?" The young woman wondered. "I-I'm just curious."

A sad smile spread across her father's face. Wally would never forget that painful moment Artemis Crock stole his heart forever. "I remember that day like it was yesterday. We were both fifteen at the time and we absolutely hated each other." The man chuckled softly.

Irey looked at him in confusion. "You guys hated each other?" Honestly she couldn't see that in her parents.

"I couldn't stand her mother. When we first met she was such a bitch to me. Well I wasn't that nice to here either, but needless to say we definitely didn't get along."

"So how'd you fall in love?" The speedster took a sip from her frappuccino. "I can't picture you and mom hating each other."

"Neither can I." Her father agreed. His gaze was somewhat distant as he continued his story. "That day I realized I loved Artemis we were doing an exercise. The whole team was participating in a mental simulation meant to prepare us. It was supposed to be a no win situation and we all knew that going into it. At first we stat back and watched the whole league perish in the simulated alien invasion and none of us even flinched as we witnessed out mentors disintegrate into nothing. Then it happened. We were somewhere in the arctic near the fortress of solitude trying to take out one of the alien craft when Artemis was hit with the disintegration beam." Wally's voice started to shake as the memories came back to him.

The young woman paled. Her knuckles turned white as she grasped the side of the table.

"She was killed instantly, but unlike the others her death felt real. When we all got on the bioship I went crazy. That was when I realized that I loved your mother and I was absolutely crushed with grief because I thought she was gone forever. When I woke up and saw her next to me alive I was overjoyed, but then I tried to deny my affections. I pretended I overreacted and that my feelings weren't real. It wasn't until new years that year I realized that my feelings were real and I accepted it."

"And now you're married to her with kids." His daughter smiled.

Wally let out another warm chuckle and ran his fingers through his red hair. "I don't regret a minute of it." He replied half-heartedly. He really didn't want to think about his estranged son at the moment.

Irey stared off distantly into her drink for a moment ignoring the elephant in the room like her father before changing the subject. "So…I've decided to actually show up for this year's Flash appreciation day."

"Really?" Her father's face lit up. "That's good." He picked up his paper again and started to read it for a moment before setting it down again to give his daughter a look. "Wait a second. Since when did you stop going to Flash appreciation day?"

The current Flash chuckled nervously. "Well, Dad, you see that past few years I've either haven't had time or something came up or I was fending off villains. Like two years ago I had to put that icicle bitch back in prison—"

"Language, Irey." The retired hero reprimanded from behind his paper. The young speedster rolled her eyes and continued.

"And last year I was— actually I don't remember what I was doing but I'm sure it was important." Irey tried to recall as she sifted through her papers.

Wally took another sip from his coffee. "So you're telling me that for the last few years the Flash has not shown up to _Flash_ appreciation day?"

"No…Not exactly." The young speedster replied as she stirred her drink uneasily.

"Irey…" Wally said in a familiar warning tone. "So who does show up to Flash appreciation day?"

"Jay usually shows up. I mean he was the original Flash. Jessie came last year." The scientist answered and shrugged. "I really don't see why it's a big deal. I mean I really appreciate the sentiment and all but I really don't get the whole point of receiving the key to the city and then proceed to give a speech every year."

"It's about letting the people thank you Irey. I know you think it's pointless but to some people Flash Appreciation Day is very important. And if I remember properly didn't you used to want to get a key to the city?" The older speedster wore a slightly playful smile.

Irey let out a snort. "Dad I was thirteen when I said that. A lot of things have changed since then."

"True." He smiled sadly. "So what made you decide to show up this year?"

The red headed woman frowned and murmured something under her breath that sounded like a curse to Wally. "Milagro…." She indignantly admitted.

"Milagro? What'd you do? Lose a bet?" The retired hero laughed.

Irey sighed and crossed her arms. "Yeah. It was either show up and give a speech for Flash Appreciation Day or go on a date with Damian."

Wally tried his best to restrain from laughing. "And you chose Flash Day?!"

"Yeah." The disgruntled speedster frowned. "Did it ever occur to you that there was a reason why we broke up?"

"And that was?" Her father inquired. He never actually figured out why his daughter broke up with boy wonder.

"I'd rather not discuss that." Irey brushed him off.

Wally nodded and went back to reading his paper while Irey finished off her report. A good ten minutes went by before either of them broke the awkward silence.

"I could help you write your speech if you want." The retired speedster offered. "I mean the ceremony is next week and you're busy with work and other things. With your mother at work and all I have nothing to do all day. "

Irey looked up from her papers and smiled. "Thanks Dad, I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

"Great!" Wally folded up his paper, stood up and looked at his watch. "You better get going Irey you need to be at work in a few minutes."

"Oh crap you're right." She gasped and hastily collected her things. "My boss will have my back if I'm late anymore this week."

"I remember when I used to be late to work every day." The redhead recalled with a smile. "Ironic, isn't it?"

The current Flash got up and hugged her father. "It sure is Dad. Thanks for brunch I really enjoyed spending time with you."

"Anytime sweetheart. I always love spending time with you. You better get to work now. It's good to be on time every once and a while to offset your absences." Wally reminded his daughter before she dashed out the door.

Irey smiled. Her father had been back for around six months and finally it was starting to seem as if he never left. Though that painful gap was still there the scars were fading.

"I love you Dad." She said from over her shoulder as she walked towards the exit.

"I love you too dear. Have a nice day at work." He replied and watched his daughter disappear into a blur. Wally couldn't help but feel proud of his daughter. Proud of the successful woman she had become.

**Well guys what did you think? I know it was fluffy but we'll get back to the action and feel next chapter. I have a few questions to ask you guys. I mentioned earlier in the chapter that artemis has a job but i have not yet decided what said job/career is so I need your suggestions. I also would like to know what you guys think happens next. I'm just curious to what you guys think of the story. Please review. Feedback is always appreciated. I'll also try to have the next chapter out by july i have a lot of other ignored stories i need to update. Thanks for reading.**


	23. The Return Part 1

**Hey guys! Here's another nice long chapter. I hope you like it. Thank you to all of the lovely reviewers. You all deserve virtual cookies/hugs.**

**Only the plot is mine.**

The first light of dawn peeked over the horizon and the crisp spring air smelled of rain. It was about four thirty in the morning and most of Central City was still in their beds. Irey knew she wasn't due to work until nine but she was too nervous to sleep. Today was the day she dreaded since finding out about the project. It was the first test of the treadmill.

The speedster was sure that she got no more than a few hours of sleep. She was worried about the outcome. The memory of the last cosmic treadmill haunted her. The negatives far outweighed the positives when it came to the wretched device. It was too dangerous in her opinion. The league should've never brought it back.

She stood in her uniform in front of the flash museum. There was a new statue in front of the building. The woman let out a bitter chuckle remembering how Jai destroyed the other one a few months ago. If he kept this up the city would go broke replacing that dammed sculpture. Personally, she didn't see why it was necessary. She didn't want a statue. This one was of all the Flashes instead of just one. The bronze impressions of Jay, Barry, Wally, Bart and herself stood proudly in a row. They all seemed to be looking over the city protectively. Irey wore a sad smile as she looked up at the five Flashes. The last time they were all together was almost two decades ago.

She looked at Bart's smiling figure and fought the urge to cry. Irey missed him so much these days. The speedster never truly forgave herself for his demise. If only she were there two seconds earlier Bart would be alive today.

Irey didn't remember that much about Uncle Barry. He died when she was six. Though there was one memory she had of him that stuck with her throughout the years.

_"__Hey kiddo! C'mere!" Barry Allen shouted from an armchair. Little Iris West looked up from her new toys she got for Christmas and paddled towards her great uncle._

_"__Yeah Uncle Barry?" The five year old with pigtails smiled._

_"__Come sit with me I have something important to tell you." He said._

_The little speedster crawled onto his lap; her green eyes stared up at him with wonder. "What is it?"_

_"__Wanna know the secret to being the Flash?"_

_"__Yeah!" Irey cheered._

_"__Ok, but remember, It's a secret." He gave her a sly smile._

_She nodded obediently. "Ok."_

_"__Iris this is very important so pay attention." Barry said._

_"__Okay Uncle Barry. Can you tell me now?" The little speedster was starting to lose her patience._

_The current Flash let out a light chuckle and continued. "Kid I know that some day you're going to go far. You have potential and talent but never let that get to your head." He paused to make sure his grand niece was still paying attention. "Iris I know you just came into your powers, but there are three important things you need to know as a speedster. Never run too fast. If you lose control you might disappear forever."_

_"__Forever?" She questioned. "Where would I go?"_

_Barry paled at the thought of Iris falling into the speed force. "To this horrible place for speedsters who run too fast. Promise me you'll be careful when you run."_

_"__Okay, I will." She vowed. "What's the next thing."_

_"__You need to be patient with people. There aren't many people who can go as fast as you so you have to wait for them. Though you have super speed you need to remember that it's not a bad thing to slow down sometimes. Don't let your powers get to your head. Always remember who you are. Can you do that for me Kiddo?" He ruffled her red hair slightly._

_"__I think I can." She smiled. "But what's the last thing?"_

_"__Don't run away from your problems." Barry said sternly, Irey nodded. "No matter how fast you go they will always catch up with you. When you run, you run towards something. That something can be an ideal, an objective or a destination. It doesn't matter what it is that you run to as long as you are running towards something. This is the most important thing you ever need to know about being a speedster."_

_"__Why are you telling me this Uncle Barry?" the tiny speedster asked curiously._

_He gave the little girl a sad smile. It was as if he almost knew his time was running out. "It's important for you to know early on." Barry answered. "Because one day you're going to be of an age when you get the choice to carry on the Flash mantle. First you'll start out small as a protégé, but eventually you'll outgrow it and before you know it you could be the Flash."_

_Green eyes peered at him in confusion. "Me? The Flash? Like that'll ever happen." She frowned and crossed her arms. "Jai's going to be the Flash, not me."_

_"__Why can't you be the Flash?" Barry asked gently._

_"__Because he's the oldest." She sighed._

_"__That doesn't mean anything. You never know. Jai might not want to be the Flash. Do you want to be the Flash some day Iris?" The older speedster asked. He had a feeling deep in his bones that this little girl in his lap would step into his shoes some day._

_"__Maybe…" She thought about it. "It's a giant responsibility."_

_"__That it is, but I have a feeling you can handle it. You're a fighter Iris." He complimented._

_"__I am? How do you know that?" there was doubt in her eyes._

_Barry let out a warm chuckle. She looked so much like her father. "I can see it in you. You're stronger than you think." He smiled "Don't forget what I have told you. It's very important."_

_"__I promise." She hugged him and laughed._

_"__Good." he patted her on the head "Now go help your mother clean the kitchen." He grinned as she scampered off his lap and into the kitchen._

The scarlet speedster sighed as the moment came back to her. Irey wondered if Barry would be disappointed with her or if he would be proud. She didn't exactly follow what he had told her those many years ago. She had broken her promise to him. She had forgotten. For a long time she tried to ignore her father. She let herself get caught up in the speed and lastly she went too fast. Then again, her Uncle went to fast once too, but unlike her Barry never made it back. He was lost in the speed force.

Jay and her father looked much younger than they did now. She remembers how both speedsters dragged her to the unveiling ceremony for the statue. Jay cut the rope with her and Wally hid in the crowd. Irey saw how he was beaming with pride as she stood up there on the podium. Her mother even took pictures much to her displeasure.

Now she stood before the figure of the five Flashes and the bronze sculpture seemed ominous. It was the flash legacy personified. Irey knew if she screwed up today the whole mantle could be lost. The speedster knew there would be a huge amount of league presence at the test but that didn't settle her nerves. Just because Clark and Tim were overseeing the operation and one of the Martians would be posing as civilian Irey, Flash feared something terrible would happen. She didn't have a good feeling about this at all.

The speedster looked to the sky to see the sun poking above the buildings and the six am traffic started to pile up. She must've been standing there for hours. It was unusual for time to pass this quickly for her. Irey pivoted on her heel and did a lap of the city before making her way to Keystone. Barry's words echoed through her, the speedster knew she had to face this. It was inevitable.

Once Irey arrived Keystone and took a few laps to patrol she changed into her civvies and walked over to the coffee shop she was supposed to meet Miss Martian.

The speedster ordered some tea to try and calm her nerves. The warm drink felt good on her throat. Irey looked around for M'gann and was waved over to a table.

"Hi Ms. Morse." The redhead squeaked. She could feel the anxiety taking over.

"Hey Irey." The Martian smiled warmly. She took a sip from her latte. "How are you today?"

"A little nervous. It's a big day." The young woman confessed. She subconsciously twirled her ponytail in her fingers.

"Don't worry Iris you're going to be fine. It's just a test run, remember." M'gann tried to sound reassuring but it still didn't do much for Irey's confidence.

"So what do you need to know to properly pull of being me for the day?" the young woman asked.

"Not much, a brief rundown of what I need to do is sufficient. I will be in telepathic contact with you and Tim the whole time." The Martian informed her and save her another gentle smile.

Irey tried not to cringe at the fact M'gann would be in her mind she liked her privacy. "Ok, all you need to do is follow what the other researchers are doing for the preparation and take notes during the test."

"That's all?" M'gann made sure.

"Oh and be there a few minutes late." Irey added, the Martian gave her a look of surprise. "What? It's my thing. Keeps suspicion away." she shrugged.

M'gann let out a small chuckle. "I remember when Wally did the same thing with the police department. Do you have your ID badge?"

"Oh yeah!" Irey completely forgot about those. She reached into her pocket and handed the Martian her spare ID card.

"Thanks" The Martian looked at her watch "It's about time I get going, I'll see you there in an hour."

Irey nodded and finished up her tea. Butterflies exploded in her stomach as she did everything she could to keep calm.

Ten minutes later she stood in an alley across the street from the back entrance to Star Labs. Flash took a deep breath. This was it. The speedster had never been more afraid in her life. It was like that first day of school without Jai all over again. It was the horrible unknown that became the monstrous shadow that loomed over her.

"C'mon Irey, you can do this." She whispered to herself while she crossed the street. "You've prepared for everything. You've done all the calculations. Now all you have to do is run on a treadmill."

Once she arrived she was put through an array of tests to make sure everything was in order. The speedster found it hard to stay still. She continuously glanced around the room hoping for some reason to postpone the treadmill, but, sadly, there were none.

"Thank you for doing this Miss Flash." Bob Everett thanked the hero politely for the umpteenth time that morning. "We're ready to begin as soon as West gets here. Of all days she picks to day to be late."

"Sir, She's late everyday." One of the techs blurted. "We should've expected it."

Just then M'gann disguised as Irey burst in to the room. "Sorry! I missed my alarm and I got caught in traffic."

"West! I swear one of these days I'm gonna fire you for being tardy!" The rather obese man grumbled under his breath.

"I am so sorry sir." M'gann breathlessly apologized again.

Irey tried not to laugh as the Martian almost over played her part. It was also equally hilarious to see her boss turn purple. The situation she faced on a weekly basis was suddenly much funnier from a different perspective.

"Is everybody ready?" Tim asked calmly as he strode into the room. Irey felt a knot form in her chest and a wave of nausea hit her. No matter how much she tried to convince herself she was not ready.

"_Irey it's going to be ok. You can do this." _A new voice said gently in the speedster's head.

Flash glanced over at the Martian who was pretending to look over her notes. "_Thanks Mrs. Morse. I just can't get over the feeling something is going to go wrong today."_

Clark finally walked into the room and the group headed down the hallway. With each step she took Flash felt as if the walls drew closer. The steel door loomed over her ominously. "_It'll be alright. You can do this." _ M'gann's kind voice echoed through her mind but it did little to comfort the anxious speedster.

Once they reached the test room everything passed in a blur as they went over the plan again. After that they hooked up all the wires and sensors to the scarlet woman. Then, the researchers made their way to the observation deck and Irey found herself standing on the treadmill alone.

The silence that encompassed the large concrete room was deafening. Flash took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. This was the moment she had feared. It took everything the speedster had to remain still while she waited for instruction.

"We're ready when you are Flash." Tim's voice came through the intercom startling the young woman. Irey took another shaky breath and gave the observation deck the signal.

"_Good luck Irey."_ M'gann whispered in the back of her mind. The speedster gulped and took another deep breath then took off running.

At first Flash took off in a light jog then into a brisk run. Soon she broke the sound barrier and found herself approaching the speed of light. The speedster was about to slow herself when lightning shot out of the machine. There was high pitched squealing noise that sounded like groaning metal and another bolt shot out of nowhere this time hitting Flash.

Irey was thrown back as a bright ball of light exploded in front of her. The speedster felt a sickening crack when she was thrown against the concrete wall. She thought she saw one or two blurry figures fly out of nowhere. One of the figures hit her head on while the other flew the other direction and vanished into the blur.

It took a moment or two for Flash to realize what was happening for her to gather the strength and pry herself off the ground. Irey tried to get into contact with M'gann but nothing happened. Glancing around she realized her efforts were useless now that she saw Clark trying to resuscitate her on the shattered view deck. The speedster was more than relieved to see Tim's head pop out over the debris. The current Batman looked a little shaken and had a nasty cut on his forehead but he was well enough to dig others out of the rubble.

"FLASH!" He called down to her. "ARE YOU OKAY?"

"GO! HELP THEM, I'M FINE!" Irey shouted and waved him off. She felt the stinging on her back as she peeled herself off of the concrete block. Blood trickled down her arms and there was a large burn on her left shoulder.

Flash ignored the blinding pain and quickly scanned the room for survivors. She almost jumped when a small moan grabbed her attention. The speedster quickly got to work digging through the huge piles of wreckage.

Soon Irey located the source of the groans and started pulling the debris off the man. When she first glimpsed the man under the rubble she almost dropped the concrete slab she held back on him in shock. He was covered in about an inch of dust and grime, but there was no mistaking his identity.

_Barry Allen._

**Dun dun duun. So what did you guys think? Sorry for the evil cliffy but I really had to go there. Forgive me? I'm going to try to get out the next chapter or two before I leave on vacation but no promises. I really want to know what y'all think is going to happen next. I'm really curious to see what you guys think. And forgive me if there are any mistakes it's 2am and I've read through it like fifty times just let me know if you see anything wrong. Please review and let me know what you think about this chapter and what's going to happen next.**


	24. The Return Part 2

**Hey readers. How's it going? Thank you for all of the reviews from last chapter. I love receiving feedback. This chapter isn't much, I'm going away on Sunday until sometime in august so yeah. Enjoy!**

**Only the plot is mine**

Irey's heart stopped. Her whole world slowed into a standstill as she stared wide-eyed at her moaning great uncle. The speedster found herself struggling to breathe.

She stood there in shock for a moment before she bravely nudged his side with her toe. He felt real enough, but she was still skeptical. Flash prodded his side a little harder and got a groan in return.

"Flash what is going on down there?" Clark boomed. Damn that Boy Scout, she thought. The speedster tried to get in front of Barry and shield him from view. Irey felt the urge to protect her uncle from the man of steel.

"I'm fine," she grunted, annoyance and frustration laced in her voice.

"Is that...?" he gasped once he had sight of Barry. Miss Martian was in his arms. She was out like a light with a nice lump on her forehead.

The speedster sent him a glare of death that told him to stay away, Clark listened but Irey had a feeling that the man of steel would not just let this go. Though right now she didn't worry about it, her main focus was to get Barry somewhere safe.

O0000o0o0

Barry Allen woke to the sound of sirens and a throbbing headache. His body felt old and tired. He kept feeling something poke him in the side, but he still lacked the energy to even open his eyes. The speedster groaned a little more and the annoying nudges became more insistent to the point where he could not stand it anymore.

Slowly, he opened up his eyes to see a blurry red figure standing over him.

"Wally? Is that you?" Barry coughed.

"No." The figure answered and offered a hand to help the Flash up. It took the blonde man a moment to realize that the person helping him up was a woman.

Barry blinked a few times and his vision came into focus. When he got his first real look at the woman in red he was shocked. There was not one square inch on her that was not covered with dirt or blood. Her scarlet costume was torn in many places. A nasty gash seeped blood on her forehead. Then Barry also noticed something besides the many apparent injuries on the woman. She was in a Flash costume much like his own, which didn't make sense to the confused speedster.

"Who are you?" Barry asked. He had an odd feeling about this woman.

She studied him for a minute. It seemed as if she was contemplating something. "I'm the Flash." The woman in red finally replied. There was a sense of urgency in her voice. "Listen Barry, I'll answer all of you're questions later but now you need to come with me."

The sirens in the distance grew louder and the woman grabbed his arm. Before he knew it Barry was being dragged out of the wreckage of a building and out onto the street. "Where are we going?"

The Flash ignored him. She seemed occupied with something as they made their way into an alley.

"Listen Lady. I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where you're taking me." The blonde man demanded. He still didn't trust this strange woman.

The young woman mumbled something that sounded like a curse. "We're going somewhere safe. Now I need you to follow me."

Barry didn't argue with the woman. There was something in her voice that convinced him to trust her. Flash glanced back at him before she dashed out into the street. The older speedster felt ancient as he raced after her. He almost couldn't keep up which was strange.

He followed the woman through the streets of the unusual city. For a moment he thought it was Keystone but the buildings looked different. Finally Flash led him up the stairs of some apartment building. She was moving so fast he could barley see what she was doing when she opened the door.

"Where are we?" The confused man asked as they walked into the somewhat messy apartment.

"My place." She answered briefly as she quickly tidied up a few things. "I'll explain everything in a minute, I just need to make one phone call. You can sit over there and make yourself comfortable." The woman gestured towards her small table next to the window. Barry complied without argument.

After she left Barry glanced around the room. The walls were painted turquoise and covered with various posters and photos. There was a desk piled high with what looked to be stacks of paper and files. A lime green sofa sat on a large orange carpet. On the other side of the table there was a half eaten bowl of cereal. There was a Star Labs lab coat draped on the other chair. The blonde man returned his attention to the pictures on the wall. For some reason the speedster felt drawn to them, but with his blurry vision he couldn't make out the faces. So instead he glanced back over to the notes on the table in hopes that somehow he could answer the question to who the strange woman in the Flash suit was amidst the messy handwriting.

0o0o0o0

Irey tried to remain calm as she glided into the kitchen. Her hands shook violently as she tried to grab her phone. She was nearing panic mode. After a few short deep breaths the speedster dialed her father. As the phone rang the sense of perpetual anxiety boiled in the pit of Irey's stomach.

"Hello? Irey?" Wally answered on the last ring before his daughter could cut him off."

"We have a problem." Irey rasped. She glanced over to the table just to see if Barry was still there.

"What happened?" Her father demanded. His tone changed from friendly to serious. "Are you hurt?"

Irey ignored his question and took another shaky breath. "Something went wrong with the treadmill test today." She explained.

"Are you alright?" he asked again.

"I'm fine, but—" The young woman started.

"But what?" Wally interrupted. "What happened Irey?"

The speedster bit her lip. She was having trouble finding the right words. "There were some…_complications_…"

"Complications? What kind of complications Irey? What happened?" Her father demanded. She could feel the concern in his voice.

"You might want to sit down." Irey advised. He voice then dropped to a dead whisper. "Dad, it's Barry. _He's back_."

Her heart thundered in her chest as she heard the phone on the other end clatter to the ground.

"I'm on my way. Where are you?" Wally barked almost a minute later. He didn't bother to question it.

"My apartment." The woman answered.

"You took him to your apartment!" Her father shouted. "Irey! Why didn't you take him to the league?"

"Because they have their hands full with the explosion and I'm not taking Barry in any sort of zeta tube without knowing his molecular integrity." She argued.

"Okay you have a point there, did you it least notify the league?" Wally interrogated.

Irey glanced over at her JL communicator sitting on her counter. "Not officially but Clark knows." For once the man of steel kept his distance but the speedster expected to receive a phone call from the boy scout any time now.

"What have you told Barry?" Her father continued.

Irey glanced over at her great uncle once more. "Nothing. Should I?"

"You do what you're comfortable with. I'm almost there." Wally assured her.

The young woman felt some sense of relief. "Okay, the door's open."

0o0o0o0o0o

Flash set the phone next to the stove and grabbed two glasses of water. Nervously, she ambled out of the kitchen and set one of the cups in front of Barry. She gave her great uncle a small, awkward smile and sat down in the chair across from him.

"You must have a lot of questions." She sighed and looked him in the eye.

A corner of Barry's mouth twitched. "You could say that again."

"What do you remember?" Irey asked quietly as she studied his expression. It was if she felt like he was going to vanish at any moment and this would all turn out to be some sick twisted dream.

"Not much. It's all still fuzzy. I was chasing something, a yellow blur I think, then out of nowhere a flash of light hits me and after that everything was darkness until I woke up with you standing over me staring at me as if I were a ghost or something." Her father's predecessor explained. Then Barry gave her an odd sort of look. Almost if at that moment he knew. "Miss, do I know you? Sorry, but there's something about you that's so familiar and it's been bugging me."

Irey found herself having trouble finding the right words. She had known from the moment she saw Barry that this moment would have to come but she never expected it to arrive so soon. "It's been years." She began softly. The memory of their last conversation flashed through her mind. "You probably don't even remember."

"Years? How many? I'm sure I'd remember a female speedster." Barry's brow furrowed. Suddenly his eye caught on the lab coat that now lay on the floor. Once he read the name stitched above the breast pocket all the puzzle pieces fell into place. "_Iris_?"

"It's Irey." She corrected him then realized the harshness in her voice. "Sorry, force of habit." The scarlet speedster then peeled her rather bloody cowl off her banged up face. She could almost hear her father's scolding for her telling him she wasn't hurt.

"How old are you exactly?" Her great uncle inquired softly. Barry had grown pale.

"I'm going to be twenty five in June."

"Wow." Was all Barry could say. His eyes were wide with shock. "You grew up."

Irey smiled sadly. Some of her more painful memories of her young adult hood drifted through her mind.

A sudden bang of the front door startled Irey as her frantic father rushed in the room. Wally didn't even seem to notice his daughter as he stared at his predecessor curiously. His eyes were wide but showed disbelief.

"Barry?" His voice held an edge of uncertainty, "Is that you?"

**So Guys what do you think? How's Wally going to react? How's Barry going to react? How's Irey going to react? What's going to happen next? (IDK you tell me!) I'm going to be gone for a while. (Not like I've been current with anything) but I'm going to be out of the country for a couple of days and yeah. Also before I leave I'm going to try to get out another chapter of Date Night and I'm going to go through and fix Finding Violet and hopefully update that one too (hopefully)! (Which one do you guys want more?) For those of you who are waiting for me to update some of my more neglected stories I am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart. I'm doing the best that I can to work all of those out. If you have suggestions for any of them you can PM me or if you are a Guest reviewer just leave your idea in a review on the story that the idea is for. (I would greatly appreciate help on a few of my neglected stories) **

**Sorry about the long A/N. Please tell me what you think of this chapter. I absolutely adore reviews. I mean thirty seconds of your time telling me what you think would honestly make my entire day.**


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